• John S. Trach, Ph.D., CRC , Project Director and Principal Investigator
• Tony Plotner,  M.S., CRC, Project Coordinator
• Betty Taylor, Administrative Assistant
• Lynda Leach, M.S.,Information Specialist
• Kat Oertle,M.S.,CRC, Program Assistant
• Wei Liu, M.S.,Program Assistant
• Megan Horack, Program Assistant
• Kris Wallace, Program Assistant
   

• Frank R. Rusch, Ph.D.
• Lizanne DeStefano, Ph.D.
• David Johnson, Ph.D.
• Tom Sechrist
• Sue Ann Morrow, Ph.D.
• Laura Ritterbush, M.S., CRC
• Jane Everson, Ph.D.
• Jennifer DeBardeleben
• Debbie Shelden
• Amy Dwyre
• James Emmett
• Camille Mayhall Gehrenbeck
• Jim Mayer
• Maggie Leedy
• Deb Russell
• Kristin Crudele
• Karen Steffan
• Michael Birckelbaw

John S. Trach, Ph.D., CRC
Project Director and Principal Investigator
jtrach@uiuc.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Dr. John Trach received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989. He currently holds a position as Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and a zero-time appointment to Rehabilitation. He has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in special education and rehabilitation. He serves on the College of Education Technology Committee and has been active in efforts to encourage faculty to utilize technology when teaching courses. In his own courses, Dr. Trach has utilized Web-integrated curricula, video conferencing, and audio conferencing.

Dr. Trach has been providing training to community rehabilitation providers in the state of Illinois and in the region since 1985. As Project Co-Director of the Illinois Supported Employment Project (1985-1989) he provided technical assistance and training to community rehabilitation providers developing supported employment programs. He provided training and technical assistance through two RSA-funded Long-Term Training Programs, one OSEP-funded Related Services Training Program, and two RSA-funded Experimental and Innovative Training Programs. He has been a trainer and consultant to various state rehabilitation departments and rehabilitation facilities.

Dr. Trach was recently named a Switzer scholar (2000-01). In 1998 he received the National Rehabilitation Association’s Professional Achievement award for his outstanding contributions to both pre-service and in-service professional development and research; and National Rehabilitation Association Job Placement Division Research Award. In 2000, he was named a Fellow in the American Association on Mental Retardation for his research and contributions to the field. His interests include supported employment program implementation and evaluation, personnel preparation, transition policy development, and evaluation research in supported employment and transition.

Tony Plotner, M.S. , CRC
Project Coordinator
plotner@uiuc.edu

Tony Plotner received his M.S.in Rehabilitation Administration and Services from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2000 with specializations in Rehabilitation Management and Vocational Evaluation. Tony has worked as a Certified Vocational Evaluator, Residential Counselor, and as a Residential Services Director / QMRP in the private rehabilitation sector. Tony has also done some work with the Region V RCEP at Southern Illinois University where he assisted with  training needs assessments, cultural audits, training development, and research. As Project Coordinator for Region V CRP-RCEP, Tony is responsible for coordination and implementation of  training  for community rehabilitation providers; consultation with small groups and individual rehabilitation providers; supervision of graduate students involved with the project; and dissemination via presentations at national conferences, published articles, and course instruction. Tony is president elect for Illinois APSE.

Lynda Leach, M.S.
Information Specialist
leachlyn@uiuc.edu

Lynda Leach received her Master of Science in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1978. She has been associated with the Transition Research Institute at Illinois (TRI) since 1985 and with the RSA Region V CRP-RCEP since 2001.  In her information specialist role she provides information and communication services to community rehabilitation providers as the librarian and bibliographer, technical assistance provider, Web master, listserv manager , teleconference coordinator, and newsletter editor.

Betty Taylor,
Administrative Assistant
ertaylor@uiuc.edu

Betty received the Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award  April 17, 2003. Charles Colbert, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Human Resource, University of Illinois, presented the award to her.

Betty Taylor  provides clerical and administrative support to the project. Ms. Taylor has worked at the Transition Institute at Illinois since 1985 and has extensive experience preparing training and dissemination materials and correspondence, scheduling and coordinating meetings, doing transcription and word processing. She is responsible for coordinating training registrations and payments, assisting with managing training evaluation data, maintaining mailing lists and contact databases, and preparing training materials for dissemination and publication.  In April 2003 she received the Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award, University of Illinois, for excellence in all that she does!

Kathleen "Kat" Oertle, M.S., CRC 
Program Assistant
oertle@uiuc.edu

 Kat is presently working toward a Ph.D. in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois. Her research interests include the teaching/learning process related to employment skills for individuals with disabilities.  She earned a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Illinois and completed training to be certified as a Resource Specialists for Special Learning Needs.

Kat has worked as a veterinary technician, addictions therapist, addictions counselor, and most recently as the Coordinator of the Perkins Program at Parkland College. She continues to teach a class in Parkland's College for Kids program. In addition, Kat has presented at many state conferences in Illinois as well as locally  to counselors and teachers from nearby school districts.

Megan Horack, Program Assistant
horack@uiuc.edu

Wei Liu,M.S., Program Assistant
weiliu1@uiuc.edu

RSA Region V CRP-RCEP
Program Associates

Frank R. Rusch, Ph.D.

Professor Rusch is known internationally for his research related to self control, benefit-cost analysis, and evaluation. Since 1997, his research has focused upon (a) identifying, evaluating, and disseminating leading-edge technology tools, resources, and applications that have the potential to assist transforming education consistent with inquiry-based constructivist learning, (b) developing and testing prototypes that adapt emerging, leading-edge, computational science and visualization tools, learning resources, and methodologies that have the potential enhance educational practices, and (c) providing research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in the use and evaluation of leading-edge computational science and visualization technologies and methodologies in education nurturing the students toward more advanced learning.

Lizanne DeStefano, Ph.D.

Dr. DeStefano holds a doctorate in educational psychology and trained and practiced as a clinical and school psychologist at Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT. She is a former Fellow in the Bush Center for Child Development and Social Policy, Yale University. Currently, she is Professor of Educational Psychology, Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Bureau of Educational Research at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. DeStefano’s research interests include the evaluation of innovative programs, multi-site initiatives, and programs serving special populations such as students with disabilities or those at-risk for academic failure. Dr. DeStefano has conducted many large-scale evaluations of programs serving children and youth over the last decade. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Academy of Education, the Joyce Foundation, the Lilly Foundation, and the Illinois State Board of Education has funded her work. Most recently, she has served as principal investigator of an evaluation of the Artists in Residence program, a partnership between the Chicago Public Schools and Art Resources in Teaching, Inc. In 1998, she was principal investigator for an evaluation of the NCAA’s National Youth Sports Program that serves more than 10,000 poor minority youth each summer in approximately 100 programs nationwide. Dr. DeStefano is trained in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She received an NIMH postdoctoral Fellowship in 1989 to study advanced statistical methodologies. She has trained with Drs. Robert Stake and Alan Peshkin in qualitative methodology. Currently, she is co-editing a special issue on qualitative evaluation for New Directions in Evaluation. Her work is useful to both practitioners and policymakers. In April, 1999, she was invited to report to OSEP staff on the results of her four year study of the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She has been recognized for her work by being named as a University Scholar in 1995.

David Johnson, Ph.D.
External Evaluator

David R. Johnson, Ph.D., is presently Director of the Institute on Community Integration (UAP) and Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration, College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. He is also principal investigator and director of several federal and state research, training, and demonstration projects in the areas of transition programs, interagency collaboration, school-to-work transition, special education, severe disabilities and supported employment, and other education issues.

Dr. Johnson has extensive training and professional experience. He has a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and a doctorate in special education policy and administration, with a specialization in the design of transition and employment training systems for individuals with disabilities. He has also served as consultant to several national, regional, and state organizations including NIDRR, National School-to-Work Office, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Alliance of Business, Council for Exceptional Children, and numerous others. Dr. Johnson has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, research monographs, and technical reports and products on topics concerning secondary education, special education, rehabilitation, transition, school-to-work, and other themes related to the priorities of this research effort.

Tom Sechrist

Tom Sechrist is the founder of Sechrist and Associates, a human resource and management-consulting firm based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He combines a unique blend of business and customer service knowledge with his experience as a director of a community-based rehabilitation business serving people with disabilities. Tom has spent over 25 years training and consulting with community rehabilitation programs, small businesses, and large corporations. He is a frequent presenter at national rehabilitation and employment-related conferences. Tom specializes in topics related to financial management, work measurement, human resource development, entrepreneurial enterprises, management and marketing.

Sue Ann Morrow, Ph.D.

Dr. Sue Ann Morrow is the former Executive Director of EDGE, Inc.  Memphis, MO, a non-profit consulting and counseling firm. Prior to consulting in the area of support employment she provided direct services to individuals with disabilities as they pursued community employment and interdependent living arrangements. Dr.Morrow is a nationally known presenter and trainer in areas of supported employment, positive behavioral supports, management of employment services and leadership issues in the field of rehabilitation.

Laura Ritterbush

Laura Ritterbush, M.S., CRC, has provided several years of training and technical assistance in the areas of supported employment, natural supports, and collaboration. Ms.Ritterbush’s experience includes direct service, community employment program administration, program evaluation and staff training. She is currently an independent consultant  providing customized employment training to One Stop staff through a customized employment grant.

Jane Everson

Jane Everson earned her Ph.D. in Urban Services from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She has been employed in the field of disability services for more than 20 years in positions ranging from supported employment services at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at VCU, to transition services for deaf-blind youth at the Helen Keller National Center, and most recently at the University Centers for Excellence at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and the University of South Carolina. She has published more than 100 books, chapters, and professional papers in transition, supported employment, homeownership, and interagency teaming.

James Emmett

James Emmett is an Instructor and Doctoral Candidate in the Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). James has taught several graduate level courses at IIT including Job Placement, Vocational Counseling, and Vocational Evaluation. James has presented at many state and national conferences on topics related to supported employment, transition, and job placement. James currently leads three research projects focused on transition and creative job placement including the Vocational Alliance Autism Project (VAAP), the Vocational Alliance Employment Within Business Project (EWB), and the Vocational Alliance Business Approach to Social Integration and Communication Project (BASIC) in Illinois.

Camille Mayhall Gehrenbeck

Camille Mayhall, MS, CRC, LPC is the Transition Specialist/Supervisor for the Office of Rehabilitation Services and the Maine and Niles High Schools. She manages the STEP (Student Transition Employment Program) Program. The program services assist students with disabilities in planning for a successful transition from high school to the world of work in the areas of job shadowing, work study class, job placement, independent living skills training, community skills training, on the job evaluation, and training and work experience. In her previous position with the Anixter Center she assisted employers with hiring and recruiting people with disabilities.

Jim Mayer

Jim Mayer is currently a Transition Specialist, coordinating career planning and employment training services for students with disabilities in Champaign County, Illinois. Previously, he coordinated Vocational Services for 13 years at Piatt County (Illinois) Mental Health Center. Jim is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor with an Area of Specialization in Supported Employment. He has been a featured presenter at numerous regional and national conferences and workshops, on a variety of topics related to the enhancement of employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Karen Steffan

Karen Steffan, MS,CRC Karen is in her ninth year as an ORS Transition Specialist, working with youth in transition to adult life. Karen has over 20 years experience in employment as it relates to people with disabilities. She has vast experience in program development and program management. Her experiences range from direct service in job development, job placement, counseling, program development through program administration. Karen is a CARF surveyor, Past President of the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Job Placement and Development Committee, and, Past Chair of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Human Rights Authority. She has developed and administered award winning programs and services, including one of the original supported employment programs in Illinois.