CDA Credential - Preschool, Part 7

Tara Warwick
MS OTR/L

Tara Warwick, MS, OTR/L, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy in 2000 and completing her Master’s degree in rehabilitation sciences with an emphasis in pediatrics in 2005. She has spent her entire career focusing on improving the quality of services for children, primarily targeting children with autism.  She currently co-owns a pediatric therapy practice called Today’s Therapy Solutions and is a consultant for the Oklahoma Autism Center through the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center – Child Study Center. Tara’s specialties include working with children with autism and challenging behavior. She has extensive experience and expertise in behavior management, sensory processing, self-care training (potty training, eating/feeding, dressing, play, etc.), and assistive technology.  She has conducted trainings and provided consultations for schools, parents and health and child care professionals all across the state.

Amanda Schwartz
PhD

Amanda Schwartz, Ph.D. is an educator and Federal contractor who has worked at national, regional, state, and local levels. While her expertise is focused on special education, health, early childhood education, and family engagement, Dr. Schwartz has worked on program management and emergency preparedness issues related to children and families. As a team member on several Federal projects, Dr. Schwartz worked in technical assistance, resource development, research, and monitoring. Throughout her career, Dr. Schwartz has developed professional development opportunities and publications to facilitate the use of research-based interventions and support data-driven decision-making by practitioners, technical assistance providers, and Federal staff in the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Liz Moore
MEd

Liz Moore, M.Ed, works as a Program Coordinator with the Oklahoma Autism Center and the University of Oklahoma's Health Science Center. Ms. Moore is the project coordinator of Early Foundations, a training site and an inclusive school for toddlers with autism. She has over 13 years teaching experience that includes public school experience in an early childhood special education classroom. Ms. Moore is certified in Early Childhood Education, Special Education and has completed her administration coursework. Ms. Moore has extensive experience and training in autism spectrum disorders and inclusive educational practices. She provides ongoing training and technical assistance to the public school and early intervention professionals.

Gina Blume
MA CCC-SLP

Gina Blume MA, CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Her area of interest and expertise is working with children and families impacted by autism, childhood apraxia of speech and children birth to three with speech and language disorders. Gina has presented information to parents, graduate students and colleagues in these areas and served as a mentor in various settings over her career. Gina has been with the Division of Speech Pathology at CCH for 20 years and has been in the field of speech pathology for 30 years. Gina also worked as an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati for several years while working at CCH.

Laura Ritter
BA, MA

Laura Ritter has worked passionately with individuals with disabilities for over 20 years. She specializes in the field of special education. She has been an instructor and administrator at the elementary school, high school, and post-high school age levels. 

She has served as a special education teacher, homebound educator, tutor, and educational consultant in the Orlando and Indianapolis areas. She works with students, families, and colleagues to develop IEP plans that meet the unique needs of her students.

As a director at an agency for adults with disabilities, located near Indianapolis, she developed Individual Support Plans for numerous participants and supervised case management, behavior management, and classroom instructors. In addition, she developed training sessions for those with disabilities on topics such as life skills, resume building, and job interview preparation.  

She has been a professor at the University of Phoenix for five years, currently teaching a variety of classes in teacher preparation and has served as a student teaching mentor for the education department. Laura looks forward to sharing her knowledge with other educators on the IEP and IFSP process.

Karen Deerwester
EdS

Owner of Family Time, Inc.

Karen Deerwester is the owner of Family Time Coaching & Consulting, the director at Family Time classes at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton and the host of the weekly podcast See Me Hear Me Love Me. Karen is the author of three parenting books: The Entitlement-Free Child (Sourcebooks 2009), The Playskool Guide to Potty Training (Sourcebooks 2008), and The Potty Training Answer Book (Sourcebooks 2007) which won the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award for parenting resources. Karen has also appeared on numerous TV and radio programs including MSNBC, NBC, and NPR, as well as contributed parenting/early childhood advice to Parents Magazine, Parenting Magazine, Real Simple, Women’s Day, and Essence Magazine.

Angèle Sancho Passe
BS, MA

Angèle Sancho Passe, M.A. is a leader in the field of early childhood and family education. Her interests are early literacy, kindergarten readiness, dual language learners, family engagement, and educator effectiveness. She co-owns BlueWater Associates, Inc., a consulting practice.  

Angèle lives in Minneapolis, where she is a consultant, program evaluator, master trainer, and writer. She creates and delivers in-person and virtual workshops for educators and parents.  She designs and writes curricula for large organizations such as PBS and state agencies. She is the author of several books for educators, parents, and children published by Redleaf Press.

Kathy Lincoln
MA

Kathy Lincoln holds a master's degree in Educational Administration and has nearly 25 years experience in education.  She provides consultation and professional development for teachers and leaders that supports the creation of high quality, early education environments. With a background in business management, early education, sociology of families and communities, and language acquisition, she has acquired a unique skill set that supports the development of rich learning environments where every student and every staff member can be dedicated to reaching their fullest potential.

Lindsey Shafer
BA, MS