Council for Exceptional Children Convention & Expo - CEC 2026 Exhibitor List

Sarah is an experienced leader with over 20years’ experience of working in sport leadership and governance. Sarah joined British Gymnastics in October 2021 from Sport Wales where she had been the CEO since 2012 and the first woman to hold the position. Sport in Wales saw a period of significant success during her time at […]

Jody Britten, Ph.D., is an educator, strategist, researcher, and systems thinker. Previously, Britten served as Head of Research and Innovation at The Team4Tech Foundation, where she developed global partnerships and programming that supported 1500+ education-focused nonprofits in over 100+ countries. She also played a leadership role in the AI-for-Education.org initiative, where she has supported ethical and inclusive AI adoption in global education. Jody began her career in K–12 education as a classroom teacher and remains committed to bringing practitioner voices into every policy, program, or technology solution she develops. Britten holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction and a Master’s in Teaching and Leadership from the University of Kansas, in addition to undergraduate degrees in Elementary and Special Education. She continues to contribute to thought leadership through Medium publications, global panels, and her latest initiative, The Educators’ AI, a platform supporting inclusive and ethical AI in education.

Kim Strobel is on a mission to transform lives through the science of happiness and leadership. As a globally recognized keynote speaker, happiness coach, and leadership consultant, Strobel empowers individuals and organizations to reclaim their joy, boost performance, and cultivate resilient, purpose-driven cultures. With over two decades of experience in education — as a teacher, curriculum director, and now the CEO of Strobel Education — Strobel brings both heart and expertise to the stage. She delivers evidence-based strategies that inspire personal growth, foster leadership excellence, and create cultures of well-being in businesses, schools, financial services, and beyond. Her unique blend of real-life stories, humor, and actionable insights captivates audiences and sparks lasting change. Strobel’s dynamic talks cover topics from harnessing happiness and overcoming fear to leading with authenticity and improving workplace performance. Strobel leaves audiences energized, motivated, and equipped to lead happier, more fulfilled lives.

Julie J. Weatherly, Esq. is the owner of Resolutions in Special Education, Inc., a special education law and consulting firm in Alabama. Julie is a member of the State Bars of Alabama and Georgia and for thirty-nine years continues to provide consultation and legal representation to school agencies across the country in the area of educating students with disabilities. She is also a member of the faculty for many national and state legal Institutes and is a frequent speaker at special education Law Conferences. Julie has developed a number of professional development and training programs (in-person and virtual) that support special education legal compliance and has been published nationally as a part of her trainings, workshops, and seminars. In June of 1996, Julie appeared on CBS news program “60 Minutes” to discuss the cost of meeting the legal requirements of IDEA. In 1998, she was honored by Georgia’s CEC as the Individual who had Contributed Most to Students with Disabilities, and in April 2012, Julie received the Award for Outstanding Service from the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). Julie devotes a good bit of her time consulting and providing professional development sessions for CASE and other state and local school agencies and associations. Source: www.specialresolutions.com

Wendy W. Murawski, Ph.D., is the CEO of 2Teach Global, an international educational consulting company dedicated to inclusive education. She is faculty emeritus from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she served the last 15 years as the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning. Dr. Murawski is a past national president of the Teacher Education Division of CEC and has received multiple awards, including the Fulbright Scholar Specialist, CA Teacher Educator of the Year, Susan Phillips Gorin CEC Award, as well as CSUN’s Highly Influential & Sustained Innovation, Preeminent Scholarly Publication, and Outstanding Faculty Awards. Dr. Murawski is an internationally recognized keynote speaker, presenting thousands of presentations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, and has authored 19 books, 24 book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed articles on co-teaching and inclusive education.

Casey Watts is a dynamic speaker, author, and team leadership expert with 20 years in education and more than a decade of coaching leaders and teams. Known for her hands-on, personable approach, she is the founder of Casey Watts Coaching & Consulting and host of The Catching Up with Casey podcast. Drawing from her extensive experience as an educator and instructional specialist in East Texas, Casey empowers teams to build cohesive, vision-driven environments where people feel essential and inspired.

James “Jamie” D. Basham, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. His work is focused on developing future-ready learning environments that are equitable, beneficial, and meaningful for all learners. His research focused on the implementation of UDL, AI, STEM education, learner-centered design, innovation, and technology in human learning. He has received and managed over $27 million in federally and privately funded research and technical assistance projects, including the Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning (CIDDL). He is well-published, has given hundreds of talks, and serves on various national and international boards for journals, companies, and education organizations. Most recently he served on the technical work group for the current U.S. National Educational Technology Plan (NETP).

Dr. Lisa Dieker, is the Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education in the School of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Kansas (KU). She serves as the Director of a Center in the Assessment and Achievement Institute called FLITE (flexible learning through innovations in teaching and education). Dr. Dieker’s research focuses on harnessing the power of teachers working across disciplines in inclusive settings, with her work focusing on teacher education, special education, and innovative uses of technology. She currently directs a U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Stepping Up grant to create a data tagging tool and to harvest resources to support STEM coaches working with special education teachers. She is also a research co-PI on a project with a public charter school to create an AI agent to support students with disabilities in STEM. She collaboratively created the mixed reality simulator, TeachLivE™, today commercialized by Mursion. She has managed over 60 grants from state, local, national, international, and foundation sources amounting to more than $25 million. She is well-published, has given hundreds of talks, and holds six patents in simulation and education.

Eleazar “Trey” Vasquez III, Ph.D., is Director of the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute and Professor for the Exceptional Education Program in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida. He also holds affiliate faculty status with Lockheed Martin UCF academy, SREAL synthetic reality lab, and the Learning Science Cluster at UCF. He earned his Ph.D. from Utah State University and was a resource math teacher, technology coordinator, and school psychologist prior to becoming a professor. Dr. Vasquez’s research focuses on the evaluation of technology on academic and behavioral outcomes for traditionally marginalized populations with executive functioning deficits. His research has been supported with over $82 million from the National Science Foundation U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and Office of Special Education Programs.