July Newsletter

Greetings!

I hope this message finds you well and in good health. July marks the start of a new year for the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children and I have the privilege to serve as President. I am very excited and humbled by this opportunity. I realize that we have much work to do as we prepare for this upcoming academic year, and I am ready to get started. A big thank you to Ben Hicks, Past President, for all of the incredible work accomplished this past year. I am grateful for his leadership and continued support.

I would like to briefly introduce myself. I am a Professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education at Central Michigan University. I have been a member of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) since 2008 and have served in a variety of leadership positions within the organization including: Chair of the Diversity Caucus of the Teacher Education Division (TED), Treasurer of the Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners (DDEL), Reviewer on the Editorial Board for the TEACHING Exceptional Children journal, and a Member-at-Large for Diverse, Ethnic, and Multicultural Groups on the CEC Board of Directors. Prior to becoming a Professor, I worked as a special education teacher at the secondary level and a paraeducator at the elementary level. I am very passionate about the field of special education and hope to develop stronger ties between institutions of higher education and P-12 schools.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the current state of affairs in our society. MCE stands in solidarity with those fighting against police brutality. We are committed to dismantling systems of oppression and promoting anti-racism in schools. Please see
our Race and Inequality document to read our full statement on our website.

In closing, we have a great year ahead of us, one full of excitement and potential. I look forward to working and interacting with you all. Please feel free to connect with me on Twitter or via email. Remember, we are all in this together!

Respectfully,
Andrea (Angie) Jasper
Michigan CEC President
Email: jaspe1ad@cmich.edu
Twitter: @and_daphne_jaz