A-LIST Induction 2022

We are so excited to kick off the school year by introducing our newest members of our Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team’s “A-LIST”. Our A-LIST stands for Autism-Low Incidence Support Team and is comprised of a regional network of select professionals who exhibit “best practices” in serving the needs of students who have autism or other complex, low-incidence disabilities.Our A-LIST began in 2012 in an effort to recognize outstanding individuals who had exceeded the high expectations of our coaching process, and who represented the best that our region had to offer to students with disabilities. Only a fraction of the educators we coach each year are nominated. The A-LIST truly represents the BEST professionals in our region.

The goal of the MCESC Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team is to build the capacity of our region’s administrators, teachers, intervention specialists, related service providers, and paraprofessionals to serve children with autism and other complex disabilities. The A-LIST serves a critical role in that mission by maintaining a multi-disciplinary network of outstanding practitioners across all 5 counties we serve. We often refer our coaching teams to our A-LIST members for practical, “in the trenches” perspectives, advice, and occasional modeling of best practices.

In today's A-LIST Spotlight, shines bright on 9 educators from across the Miami Valley in a variety of disciplines and districts.




Dena Shepard

Our team has been incredibly impressed with how well Dena supports staff in the New Lebanon Local School District. As Director of Pupil Services & Curriculum, we know she has a full plate but she always takes the time to attend ACT team meetings, coordinate scheduling, and promptly respond to team emails. We recognize how challenging it has been navigating all of the demands of the pandemic. Still, Dena has maintained such a high level of professionalism, dedication, and a whole lot of flexibility! What we admire most is her positive attitude and ability to collaborate with staff and the families served. We have also been impressed with her initiative to support students individually, ensuring that her staff is meeting their needs. All of our team members have been incredibly impressed with Dena's leadership and knowledge base for her profession. Dena's leadership style should be celebrated and deserves to be recognized!



Marissa Steinhelfer

Our team has always enjoyed coaching teams that have included occupational therapist, Marissa Steinhelfer from MCESC. Our team has been so impressed with how well Marissa collaborates with colleagues in the West Carrollton school district to help problem solve and meet student needs. Marissa has actively participated in ACT training sessions and is always eager to learn more! She takes initiative to ask questions and she clearly strives to provide the best individualized treatments and supports that she can. Marissa is also super creative in coming up with support tools that incorporate the student's interests. Her students are lucky to have her supporting them!



Laura Finn

As Coordinator of Special Education Services for Kettering schools, Laura has been a great partner with to the Autism and Low-Incidence Team. She has made ACT referrals for Kettering Middle School and Van Buren Middle School. Middle school can be very challenging for all students, especially students with special needs. Laura works hard to coordinate services for her students and helps her educational teams understand the underlying challenges that impact behaviors. We love Laura's dedication to collaborative problem-solving and her ability to remain calm and confident during meetings. We are always happy to have Laura's leadership when she makes an ACT referral.



Carla Bryant

Carla is the Speech-Language Pathologist for Miamisburg Schools. Over the years she has partnered with ACT to support many students. We love her positivity and creativity when brainstorming ideas to support student communication. She puts in the time to create important tools such as schedules, object cards, and communication picture books. She collaborates well with team members to identify goals and transfer skills across settings. It is always a pleasure working with Carla!



Michelle Gardner

Michelle is a Physical Therapist for the MCESC. The thing we love the most about Michelle is her fun spirit. When the team she was supporting was feeling overwhelmed about a student with very challenging behaviors (spitting, hitting, kicking), she shared pictures and videos of him doing something fun and positive. We love how she can make a dark situation feel a little brighter. Michelle is also good about building a trusting relationship with parents and helping the team gain parent support. It is always a joy to work with Michelle!



Deanna Hicks

Deanna Hicks is an intervention specialist at East Elementary in Eaton. Her enthusiasm and dedication as she has transitioned from the general education classroom to special education has been admirable! We have loved having the opportunity to work with Deanna and watch her grow her expertise as an intervention specialist! She does such a nice job working with paraprofessionals and parents as well as building relationships with students. We are certain every student knows they are loved and cared for when they are in Deanna's room! During classroom and individual student referrals, we have witnessed her openness to ideas and ability to implement recommendations with fidelity and creativity. She is reflective and always looking to grow. Her continued dedication to learning is a sign of a fantastic educator and we cannot wait to see what amazing things Deanna does as she continues to build confidence with her new licensure!

Laurie Maravetz

Laurie Maravetz from Hayward Middle School in Springfield is a true expert in her field. Laurie's students benefit from her extensive knowledge and her creativity in meeting their needs. We are always so impressed with how much time and hard work Laurie dedicates to individualizing supports for students and making the curriculum most accessible for their unique needs. Although she already has a great deal of expertise, she continually strives to learn more and collaborate with our team. This is a true sign of a fabulous teacher and exactly what we look for in our A-LISTers!

Nichole Dunn

Nichole is an intervention specialist at Miamisburg Middle School in Miamisburg. We have had the pleasure of working with her as a remote intervention specialist and now within her classroom. We have been so impressed with Nichole's classroom including her individualized supports, paraprofessional management, data collection, and daily structure (just to name a few!). She does such a great job collaborating with our team and we have really appreciated her willingness to share your expertise with others through our remote panel and when we have asked for individual teachers to reach out. Nichole is an excellent partner to our team! 

Rebecca Leak

Northwood Elementary in Northmont is lucky to have Rebecca Leak as an intervention specialist! Rebecca is another teacher we began working with during remote learning and have had the opportunity to follow back into the classroom. We were so impressed with how well she collaborated with colleagues and parents for an individual student. She adapted to changing expectations during remote instruction and then really allowed this student to soar with her co-planning for meaningful inclusion opportunities during in-person learning. Her dedication, time, and hard work were definitely noticed! She shows great initiative in meeting the unique needs of individual students and we feel Rebecca is a great role model for others!

Stay tuned to our A-LIST Spotlight throughout the school year to see supports and strategies shared by many of our new A-LISTers!