AUTISMPLUSIL.ORG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Speech - Language Pathologist
Annie McWilliams is a Speech-Language Pathologist working in Bloomington Public Schools District 87 for the last 10 years. She specializes in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) with students with complex communication needs, kindergarten through high school. Additionally, she consults with teams across the school district and provides professional development in supporting communication in children with disabilities. Annie graduated with an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Illinois State University (ISU). She graduated with a second master's in Education in 2016 through ISU. During her second master's, she co-wrote an article titled "Getting to the "Core": Vocabulary Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities, which was published in the Illinois Reading Council Journal in Spring 2019. In 2016 she co-founded the Central Illinois Core Initiative (CICI) with a colleague from a neighboring school district. Together they presented at the Closing the Gap conference and co-wrote an article titled "Connecting Core Across Communities," which was published in the April/May 2018 Closing the Gap Solutions publication. Through Annie's work in District 87, she has completed training in the areas of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Every Move Counts, Core Vocabulary, and Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP).
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Special Education at Illinois State University
- Co - Principal Investigator
Dr. Allison M. Kroesch is an assistant professor of Special Education at Illinois State University (ISU) and Co-Principal Investigator of the Autism Professional Learning and Universal Supports project. Allison taught for several years as a general educator before obtaining her M.S. Ed. and Ed.D. in Special Education from ISU. During her K-12+ experience, she taught students with a wide variety of disabilities, including four years as a high school teacher for students with complex support needs (e.g., autism, multiple disabilities, intellectual disabilities). Allison specializes in training teachers and paraprofessionals to use evidence-based practices in the field, specifically for students with complex support needs to access and succeed with the general education curriculum. Her responsibilities with the A+ grant consist of working with teams to create learning modules and collaborating with school entities to provide coaching and training.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean
- Co - Principal Investigator
Dr. Stacey Jones Bock is Associate Dean in the College of Education at Illinois State University and Co-PI on the A+ grant. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, where she co-authored the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale upon completing her dissertation. In recent years she expanded her line of research to include children with autism spectrum disorders and a dual diagnosis of hearing impairment. Dr. Jones Bock receives invitations to present at conferences, create webinars, write journal articles, and consult for large school districts across the country in this area. She's written grants and received funding totaling over $3.1 million. Her responsibilities on the A+ grant include supporting behavior change teams through coaching sessions and creating content for professional learning.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Autism Coach / Read Bio
Matt received his Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University in 2011, and his Master of Business Administration degree from Aurora University in 2018. He previously was an Evaluation Coordinator for the IL AWARE grant held by the Illinois State Board of Education, the Evaluation Specialist for the Illinois MTSS Network (FKA ISTAC), and the Associate Director of Marketing, Technology, and Evaluation also for the Illinois MTSS Network. His responsibilities include instructional design, evaluation, website management, and database management. Matt enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking, and coaching soccer.
Melanie Ernst joined the Autism Professional Learning and Universal supports project as the Assistant Director in January 2022. Prior to joining the project, Melanie taught in a K-2 self-contained special education classroom for 17 years, working with students of all skill levels and abilities. She enjoys working with individuals with disabilities within the classroom as well as outside of the classroom as a Special Olympics coach. As a lifelong learner, Melanie received her master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Wayne State University in Nebraska then continued her education by receiving her board-certified behavior analysis (BCBA) certification.
Nancy Braun joined the Department of Special Education at Illinois State University (ISU) full-time in the fall of 2020 as an Instructional Assistant Professor, supporting both the practicum program and methods coursework. She comes to ISU with 35 years of experience in the field having served as a Special Education Administrator, Special Education Supervisor, Behavior Interventionist/District PBIS Coach, and Behavior Development Instructor/Crisis Intervention Trainer all within McLean County Unit 5 Schools. She was also a Behavior Development Instructor at The Alternative School in Joliet. She received her B.S in Special Education and M.S. in Education from ISU and has her Supervisory Endorsement. Related trainings include completing RBT Training, TASN Specialist Training (Basic FBA to BIP), CPI Master Level Trainer including Autism Spectrum Disorders, APERS training, and PBIS District Level Coaches training. Educational Honors include being named an ISBE Those Who Excel Administrator, and Those Who Excel Educator, Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, ISU Distinguished Alumni, and Chiddix Junior High School Teacher of the Year. She also was a co-author of Social Skills Programming for Students with Behavior Disorders, published in the Council for Exceptional Children, and was senior author of Establishing a Descriptive Data Base for Teachers with Aggressive Students published in the Journal Of Behavioral Education.
Job Titles:
- Lead Principal Investigator / Statewide Director
Having worked in special education for over 15 years, Nikki strives to facilitate success for special education administrators, staff, and students by providing access to information and tools specifically designed to support students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related communication and behavior challenges. Her goal is to understand the needs and challenges of educators working with individuals with ASD and be a relevant resource while empowering staff and students to succeed. Nikki is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certificate and has worked to support students with intensive behavioral and complex learning needs in the school setting. Nikki has been privileged to work with various learners in home and community settings, including the adult population. Through her experiences and work, Nikki continues to pursue her passion of providing compassionate and high-quality service that is directly tailored to the specific needs of each learner. Nikki serves as the co-principal investigator and statewide director of the Autism Professional Learning and Universal Supports project.
Sarah Ballard is a teacher educator at Illinois State University focused on preparing pre- and in-service special education teachers to educate learners who have significant support needs in communication, behavior, and other adaptive skill areas. Sarah is a former high school teacher of students with significant support needs, including autism and multiple disabilities. She is also a parent of two children with autism. Sarah's research focuses on inclusive education and instruction in self-care skills for learners with significant support needs and co-occurring complex health care needs in public schools.