Belonging: Building and Sustaining Environments that Support High Expectations, Engagement, and Empowerment for All! (October 2023)

Valerie Williams, Director, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education

Valerie C. Williams serves as the director in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing administration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which authorizes formula grants to states under IDEA Part B and to lead agencies for the infants and families program under IDEA Part C. IDEA also authorizes discretionary grants under IDEA Part D to institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations to support grants for state personnel development, technical assistance and dissemination, technology, and parent training and information centers.

Williams most recently served for six years as senior director of Government Relations and External Affairs at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. She has decades of experience, which include supporting 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, thereby improving outcomes for students with disabilities. She also 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. Prior to that, she 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.

Carol Dobak, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education

Effective January 20, 2021, Carol L. Dobak is delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of the Commissioner for the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education. Ms. Dobak also serves as Deputy Commissioner since December 2022, and Director of RSA’s State Monitoring and Program Improvement Division since 2016. She began her RSA career in 2000, and has held a variety of positions, including Program Specialist with responsibility for the Client Assistance Program and the Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights program, Policy Advisor in the OSERS Office of Policy and Planning with responsibility for the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services and other RSA programs, and Chief of RSA’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program Unit. Ms. Dobak holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and is a member of the Maryland Bar.

Dr. Erik Carter, Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities, Baylor University

Dr. Erik Carter, Ph.D., is Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities. His research and writing focus on principle-driven and research-based strategies for promoting full participation, relationships, and valued roles for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). He serves as Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities, which aims to promote the thriving of people with disabilities and their families. He joined the Baylor faculty in 2023.

His research explores the pathways to inclusion and belonging for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). He is particularly interested in capturing the reciprocal and lasting benefits that come through friendships and life lived together in community.

He is committed to ensuring that the best of what we know works is what permeates everyday practices. Dr. Carter has co-authored seven books and more than 300 journal articles, chapters, and other publications. His scholarship and advocacy have also been recognized with awards from All Belong, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the Association of University Centers on Disability, the Council for Exceptional Children, and Key Ministry.

Hunter Steinitz, MDiv., Youth Engagement Specialist, Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education, and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Hunter is a speaker, writer, and self advocate with a visible disability. She was born with an extremely rare genetic skin disorder called Harlequin Ichthyosis. She is the oldest woman in the United States with her condition. Hunter works as a Youth Engagement Specialist for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. She works to bring affected youth voices into the conversation, through many community groups and organizations. She is also the Vice Moderator for Presbyterians for Disability Concerns. Hunter strives to help all people of all abilities find belonging.