TN CEC President’s Newsletter Spring 2025
Greetings! As we round the bend from the end of the school year to long summer days, I would like to take a moment to say thank you for your dedication to our field of special education. Oftentimes we do not get the spotlight that we deserve, so it is important for us to reflect on why we choose our careers, or better yet, they choose us. I encourage each of you to take a moment to recall aspects of your past that have directly influenced others. Second, I urge you to share your story and the impact of your work with others. There is no time greater than the present for bringing a much-needed positive spotlight to our profession.
TN-CEC is on the Move.
Over the past few months, the TN-CEC Executive Board has been hard at work. Thank you to our volunteers that have put their heart into elevating the future of TN-CEC. We currently have developed three new committees that will serve to increase opportunities for our state. Beth Rossi will serve as our new Grant Committee Chair, Josh Reese as Awards Committee Chair, and finally our Past-President Amy Callender will lead the Professional Development Committee. In the upcoming year, these committees will build a new vision for growing connections with members by offering grants and finding new ways to celebrate and honor our work.
New advocacy efforts have also been on the horizon, as several of our board members have recently met with state leaders to continue to advocate for change in Tennessee for individuals with disabilities and their families. Advocating for our profession is one of my favorite aspects of my career, and I hope that you join me in continuing to find encouragement in our unified voice. If you have a desire to get involved in advocating for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with exceptionalities, and the professionals who support them:
- Check out our Educate. Motivate. Advocate videos, where CEC’s Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor will get you started on the basics of advocacy.
- Make sure you've checked the Policy Insider newsletter box in your email subscription preferences and get relevant policy information in your inbox every Friday.
- Contact your elected officials through the Legislative Action Center.
- Discover what you can do at the Special Education Legislative Summit in July.
You can find more information about CEC’s advocacy work here and find 10-minute trainings here! If you are interested in helping to drive TN CEC’s policy and advocacy work through volunteerism, please contact Joan Grim at [email protected].
TN-CEC is Celebrating!
Let’s celebrate three exciting new changes to our executive board. Allison Oliver is our newly voted President-Elect who is an Assistant Professor at Austin Peay, and Joan Grim will take over as CAN Coordinator, as she settles into retirement from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Finally, Maquila Mills, who works as a Special Education Facilitator in Knox County will be serving as our new Membership Chair. We are so appreciative of these individuals and their willingness to lead in these important capacities.
Notable Happenings:
CEC Webinar | Develop IEPs that Meet the Supreme Court’s Meaningful Progress Standard
- June 11, 2024
- 12:00pm-1:00pm CDT (1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT)
- Free for CEC members, $30 for non-members
- Register here!
Join the Division of Leader & Legacy 2024 Book Club! It’s Free!
The DLL Book Club meets via Zoom at 7:30PM ET (6:30PM CT/5:30 PM MT/4:30PM PT) and discussions last approximately 75-90 minutes. After joining, you will be sent a ZOOM Link a few days before each Book Club meeting. Join the club here!
The first in our DLL Book Club 2024 Series is a discussion of -
- Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann - June 20, 2024, 7:30 PM ET
- The Yellow House by Sarah M Broom- August 22, 2024
- Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond - October 17, 2024
- The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky by Simon Shuster - November 21, 2024
Special Education Legislative Summit 2024 (In-person event)
- July 29, 2024 - August 01, 2024
- Held in Washington, D.C, the Special Education Legislative Summit (SELS) is an opportunity for educators from across the country to make a difference by advocating for change with Members of Congress. Come together with fellow educators and leaders in the field to learn more about advocacy and meet with your representatives and senators to share what's really happening in the field of special education. Hill visits will take place in person on Tuesday, July 30th, subject to the in-person policies of Congressional offices.
- Learn more about the event and register here.
In solidarity,
Alicia Pence, TN-CEC President