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People on the Move: Prentice, Ogden-Reese, Irwin, Cluver, Anderson, Myrie, Wilson, Kozyra, Yates, Kelsey, Sowin

• 05/31/23

Learn more at NMS.org.

Jermaine Myrie Joins Mentor as New CEO

Mentor has appointed Jermaine Myrie as the organization’s new chief executive officer, effective April 24, according to a news release. 

Myrie most recently served as chief external affairs officer of uAspire; he brings “deep experience in education, business development, fundraising, and external affairs” to his new role, Mentor said.

Myrie began his career as a middle school English teacher and has since served in numerous leadership positions in corporate and nonprofit organizations. For the past six years, Myrie led various teams at uAspire, a nonprofit focused on providing young people with financial information and resources to find an affordable path to and through college, according to the news release. He has also held leadership roles at Aetna Student Health, Johnson Controls, and Xerox Corporation.

Mentor noted that Myrie is the first person of color to serve as CEO of the organization. He succeeds David Shapiro, who “successfully led Mentor and the mentoring movement for more than a decade, during which the organization grew its Affiliate network, expanded the scope of its work, and embraced a vision for achieving systems-level change that benefits our nation’s young people,” the announcement said.

“As the lead champion of the mentoring movement, Mentor is committed to dismantling systemic racism and removing barriers to opportunity in our society so all young people can thrive,” said Tara Spann, chief people and strategy officer of Mentor. “To achieve this, Mentor was looking for a change-maker and community builder who could continue to leverage and activate alliances with nonprofits, educators, businesses, and government. Jermaine’s authenticity, relationship-centered approach, strategic acumen, and unique blend of cross-sector experience makes him uniquely suited to build upon Mentor’s existing momentum and drive our strategy forward to achieve greater impact, equity, and growth within the mentoring field. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the team.”

Learn more at Mentoring.org.

BlazerWorks Adds 5 to Clinical Special Education Advisory Team

BlazerWorks, a special education advisory service provider, has announced an expansion of its strategic Clinical Special Education Advisory Team, the company said in a news release. 

“Members of the advisory team will help guide the company’s vision and mission-critical work to evolve, enrich, and elevate the country's special education experience through clinical expertise and special education advisory services,” BlazerWorks said. 

The Clinical Special Education Advisory team’s expansion includes additional speech-language and school psychology experts to support districts facing severe staffing shortages in special education.

New additions to the Special Education Advisory Team include: 

Larin Wilson, M.A., CCC-SLP, Speech Therapy Advisor: Wilson is a speech-language pathologist specializing in special education and supporting students with mild to moderate disabilities and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. She “thrives on equipping districts, therapists, and partners with the knowledge and tools they need to work together successfully and create the best learning environment possible,” the company said.

Mary Kozyra, M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech Therapy Advisor: Kozyra is an experienced speech-language pathologist focusing on pediatric speech sound disorders, language disorders, and literacy. She “is passionate about providing support and resources to speech therapists and education professionals to help them succeed in their current assignments and career.”

Catherine Yates, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Speech Therapy Advisor: Yates is a speech-language pathologist specializing in feeding and myofunctional disorders and supports students with childhood apraxia of speech. She “enjoys assisting school districts in improving their processes, organizational structure, and workflow … and empowers education professionals to implement the MTSS process effectively to support student success.”

Katelyn Kelsey, M.A.E., M.Ed., BCISE, Special Education Advisor: Kelsey is a special education advisor with a particular focus in education law and policy. She “enjoys advising districts and educators to ensure students receive developmentally appropriate instruction and access to highly qualified and effective teachers,” BlazerWorks said.

Serena Sowin, M.A., LSSP, NCSP, BCBA, School Psychology Advisor: Sowin is a school psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst passionate about providing positive behavior supports and using data to make informed decisions. She “thrives on helping educators implement evidence-based interventions, completing comprehensive IEP and behavioral assessments, and providing conflict management support within multidisciplinary teams,” the company said.

BlazerWorks’ Clinical Special Education Advisory Team works with districts to ensure all students have access to high-quality education amid a critical nationwide shortage of special education professionals. Advisory Team members “work with districts and school-based professionals as a single point of contact to fully integrate clinical expertise into learning environments, enrich therapists and teachers, enhance school staff and staffing programs, and elevate the educational experience,” BlazerWorks said. The service is provided at no additional cost to school districts.

Learn more at BlazerWorks.com.