The U.S. Department of Education announced that Valerie C. Williams is now the new director of the Office of Special Education Programs within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the Education Department.
Williams, who served for six years as senior director of Government Relations and External Affairs at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, is now responsible for overseeing administration of the IDEA.
As the parent of a son with Down syndrome, Williams has supported state-level special education leaders by overseeing federal government public policy activities, federal regulatory affairs, public relations, and key initiatives to promote equity and guide positive systemic change to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.
Williams has served as the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Public Policy Fellow on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee advancing disability policy and civil rights. She also managed the budgeting and finances for numerous multi-million-dollar programs within the Departments of the Navy and the Air Force, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
She has served as president for the Committee for Education Funding, a coalition of over 100 national organizations focused on increasing the federal investment in education, and as a board member for the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, the largest coalition of national organizations supporting federal public policy to ensure the education, self-determination, independence, and empowerment of children and adults with disabilities.
Minnesota Council for Exceptional Children (MNCEC)
Email: cecminnesota@gmail.com
Website: https://minnesota.exceptionalchildren.org/
Phone: 507-398-8433
Twitter: @MinnesotaCEC
