Governing Board

received her Ph.D. in school psychology from Georgia State University in 2011. Her research interests include social justice advocacy in schools, bullying prevention, positive behavior supports, and school-based behavioral interventions for students with disabilities. She worked as a pre-school psychologist in the Metro Atlanta area for three years and has provided training on behavioral supports in schools throughout the Metro Atlanta area. Dr. Graybill has worked for the Center for School Safety, School Climate, and Classroom Management at Georgia State University in the role of evaluator. In her current position in the Center for Leadership in Disability at GSU, she conducts program evaluations for school systems and provides behavioral consultation to educators across the state of Georgia.

founder of Birdie Grants, holds over ten years experience in all facets of development, including public and private grants writing and administration, in-kind solicitation, individual donor relations, event planning, and program and budget development. She has experience in community building, development, and activism around the issues of education, affordable housing, and women’s and civil rights. Keely holds an M.S. in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University and a B.S. in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Loyola University in New Orleans. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, gardening, camping, and travel.

is a Senior Design Consultant and Co-Founder of Fountainhead Design & Consulting, LLC, a service-disabled veteran owned business (SDVOB), focused on providing innovative technical solutions in audio/visual, lighting, computer networks and ergonomic furniture design. After serving in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electronics engineer, Mr. Hollingsworth specialized for over twenty years in the audio/visual industry and is certified as a technical specialist (CTS). Prior to starting Fountainhead, Mr. Hollingsworth worked as a sales engineer/project manager for CineMassive Displays, L.L.C., where he designed high-resolution multi monitor display systems and video walls using the latest technology.

MS, CCC-SLP, is an Educational Outreach Specialist for the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, GA. During her years as a Speech-Language Pathologist in private practice, Emily has specialized in autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and related social learning disabilities. Emily was previously a lecturer at Yale University, where she served as a member of their Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic. Her publications have focused on early identification of autism, contemporary intervention models, and programming guidelines for high-functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. She is also a co-author of the clinical manual for the SCERTS Model, a comprehensive educational approach for children with autism spectrum disorders. She lectures internationally and provides consultation to educational programs serving children and adolescents with autism and related developmental disorders.

B.A. in Biology, M.Ed. in Secondary Education and Technology, and Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Arizona University, is Associate Professor and Director of the PhD program in Curriculum and Instruction at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her research encompasses transformative education, faculty professional development, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Dr. Weller Swanson conducts workshops nationally and internationally for faculty professional development and works collaboratively with faculty for five Mercer graduate colleges in a community of practice attentive to teaching and learning. She is also a member of the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education. Having served the National Middle School Association (NMSA) for over 20 years as a member, conference presenter, Curriculum Committee member, reviewer for the Middle School Journal, and member of the Research Advisory Board, she is currently the editor of their Research in Middle Level Education Online Journal. Dr. Weller Swanson recently represented NSMA at the US Department of Education information session regarding the needs of middle school stakeholders.

MOT, OTR/L, is Clinical Director, PlayWorks Pediatric Therapy, Inc. Ms. Taylor is a former middle school and high school special education teacher now in private practice as a pediatric occupation therapist certified in Sensory Integration. She has extensive training in the DIR/Floortime model and has used this model in classroom settings. She currently consults with various public and private schools and child development centers serving infants to young adults. Her passion is working with children and their families while bridging and forming relationships with classroom teachers to support students with sensory processing difficulties.