Texas: Governor Abbott Appoints Six To Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee

~ Governor Greg Abbott has recently announced the appointment and reappointment of six individuals to the Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee. The committee provides policy guidance on special education and related services for children with disabilities in Texas.

Rebecca Faulkner, Felicia Penn, and Kristen Tuttle Urbanovsky have been appointed to the committee for terms set to expire on February 1, 2029. Claudia Cavazos, April Estrada, Ed.D., and Amy Litzinger have been reappointed to the committee.

Faulkner, a resident of Rochelle, brings a wealth of experience to the committee as the director of special populations for Brownwood Independent School District. She is also a member of the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education and the Texas Association of School Administrators. Faulkner holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Tarleton State University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Permian Basin.

Penn, from San Antonio, has been working in education since 2007 and currently serves as a manager at the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University, a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Social Work from Texas State University.

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Urbanovsky, an educational diagnostician at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department-Giddings Juvenile State Correctional Facility in Elgin, is also joining the committee. She is a member of several professional organizations including the Texas Education Diagnostician's Association and the National Association of School Psychologists. Urbanovsky received her Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas, her Master's degree in Special Education from Texas Tech University, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Houston.

Cavazos hails from Rosharon and serves as assistant superintendent for governance and leadership for Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi and the National Catholic Educational Association, and also volunteers at her local church as a eucharistic minister and lector. Cavazos holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Specialization in Bilingual Education from the University of Houston and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

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Estrada, from Wylie, is the Director of Special Populations for Region 10 ESC. She is a member of several professional organizations including the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education, the Council of Women School Executives, and the Texas Association of School Administrators. In addition to her work in education, Estrada volunteers for the special needs ministry at her local church and serves as an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of North Texas and both a Master's and Doctorate in Education Leadership from Dallas Baptist University.

Litzinger, based in Austin, brings her expertise as a Policy Lead with Texas Parent to Parent to the committee. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English and Political Science from Southwestern University and a Master's degree in Theological Studies from Austin Seminary.

The appointments made by Governor Abbott demonstrate his commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities receive quality education and services in Texas. The Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee will play an important role in providing policy guidance to achieve this goal.

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