Our Team

RinaMarie Leon Guerrero, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Inclusion Specialist, IPP Demo Site Project Lead rinalg@uw.edu

RinaMarie is the Demonstration Sites Project Lead at the UW Haring Center. She has a Masters and Ph.D. in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Washington and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has 30 years of experience in the field of education and has provided direct services to students, partnered with families, and supported professional development. RinaMarie has been a kindergarten teacher, supervisor of teacher residents, and graduate course instructor. She has also worked on grants to provide training to migrant head start programs in Washington State and the Professional Development in Autism (PDA) Center for inclusive education in schools across the country. Most recently she has been in private practice facilitating social skills groups and as a behavior therapist working with children ages preschool to adolescence and their families.

Ilene Schwartz PhD, BCBA-D, Haring Center Faculty Director ilene@uw.edu

Dr. Ilene Schwartz has been a member of the special education faculty at UW since 1991 and the Director of the Haring Center since 2007. She is at the forefront of research and professional training in the areas of autism, inclusion, and the sustainability of educational interventions. At the intersection of these three areas is Project DATA, a model preschool program for children with autism. Ilene is the director of the program, which was created at the Experimental Education Unit in 1997. With continuous research funding from the U.S. Department of Education since 1990, Ilene is on a variety of review boards including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of Early Intervention. She earned her Ph.D. in child and developmental psychology from the University of Kansas and is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA).

Ilene is also the director of the UW special education program designed to prepare Board Certified Behavior Analysts. She is committed to ensuring that all children, with and without disabilities, have access to a high quality education in their neighborhood school.

Cassie Borges M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, Inclusion Specialist caborges@uw.edu

Cassie is a passionate person devoted to supporting quality inclusive practices for all. She attended the University of Washington and received a Master’s degree in Education, Washington State teaching certification with a Special Education Endorsement, and fulfilled required practicum to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Prior to joining the team Cassie worked as an Early Childhood Educator at the Experimental Education Unit, a parent trainer for the Down Syndrome Community of Puget sound, and a BCBA in a home and clinical. In addition to these professional appointments Cassie has also had the privilege of presenting at state and national conferences promoting the work of early intervention and inclusion. Cassie is thrilled to be working with the OSPI and Haring Center to disseminate and advocate evidence based, quality inclusive practices to professionals and the community.

Molly Lyman has a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership and a background in working in higher ed administrative work. Her professional experience includes communications and process improvement. Being the parent of a child with special needs, she has also developed a strong passion for inclusive education and has become a fierce advocate for inclusive practices in her community. 

Beth is a research scientist at the Haring Center and instructor in special educator at UW. She earned her PhD in special education from UW in 2021. Her research focuses on coaching to support the implementation of new practices in classrooms, ethical decision-making, and family-school partnerships. She started her career in education as a paraeducator working in the Tukwila School District. 

Beth has been an advocate for inclusion for over a decade, working with families to advocate for their children’s access to inclusive environments and coaching educators to build and sustain inclusive environments. Her own two children, (now 9 and 12), attended a fully inclusive preschool. Beth is thrilled to use her training and research experience to support inclusion on the IPP Demonstration Project. 

Christina Nowak, Ph.C., Inclusion Specialist cnowak@uw.edu

Christina is an Inclusion Specialist at the UW Haring Center supporting the Demonstration Sites Project. Inspired by her brother Michael, who has Down syndrome, Christina earned a Masters degree and teaching credential in special education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Christina served as an Education/Inclusion Specialist in Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Los Angeles supporting schools in developing their inclusive practices. While in Los Angeles Christina was a founding member of WISH Academy, a fully inclusive high school modeled after the CHIME Institute. Christina has a passion for the development and implementation of inclusive practices specific to individuals with extensive support needs as well as a focus on the development and maintenance of inclusionary practices at the district level. 

Lissa Dickenson, Inclusion Specialist

Lissa in an Inclusion Specialist at the Haring Center for Inclusive Education. She received her Master of Science in Special Education from the University of Oregon and her National Board Certification from the State of Washington.

Lissa’s work focuses on supporting elementary schools’ implementation of best practices to develop inclusive learning communities. She partners with individual teachers and school teams as they build capacity to educate all learners effectively, with the strong belief that inclusive practices benefit every student, family member and staff member.

Prior to joining the team, Lissa was a K-5 special education teacher, Technical Assistance Team facilitator, IEP compliance coach, new teacher mentor, and professional support and development provider for newly adopted district academic and social-emotional learning curricula.  Her oldest son is a proud graduate of the EEU preschool. 

Rebecca Ray, Ph.C., Inclusion Specialist, rray2@uw.edu

Rebecca (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the special education department at UW while concurrently pursuing a Disability Studies certificate. Her research interests include teacher collaboration in the pursuit of transformative and inclusive literacy practices, particularly for youth at the intersection of multilingualism and disability. In recent years, she has worked as a preservice teacher coach, research assistant, and instructor in teacher preparation.

Rebecca’s passion for collaboration and inclusive education has largely been informed by her decade plus as a language and special education teacher, including teaching English abroad, and working in dual language elementary education. Her professional training includes TESOL certification, a Master’s in Education Equity and Cultural and Linguistic Diversity from the University of Colorado’s Bueno Center, as well as special education certification. Rebecca is thrilled to be a part of the IPP Demo Sites project.

Shane Miramontez, PhD, BCBA, Inclusion Specialist skh20@uw.edu

Shane Miramontez (she/her) is an inclusion specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the field. She is a Board-Certified Behavior analyst (BCBA) and received both her masters and doctorate in special education from the University of Washington. In addition to holding a Washington state teaching certification, Shane also holds a Program Administration credential.
Shane began as a paraeducator in an elementary school classroom in San Diego. Since then, she has been a classroom teacher, clinician, business owner, parent trainer, district autism consultant, university instructor, practicum supervisor, and researcher. She is committed to inclusive practices with a particular interest in social-emotional learning and physical activity. Shane also serves on the board of Stephen’s House, a non-profit organization that provides community engagement opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Kitsap County. In her free time, Shane enjoys traveling, reading, being on the water, and spending time with family and friends.

Cassie Martin, PhD, Inclusion Specialist, Demonstration Sites Project Founder cassiem@uw.edu

Dr. Cassie Martin, Ph.D. formerly is the Demonstration Sites Lead at the UW Haring Center.  She currently is the executive director of special education at OSPI. Cassie specializes in implementation and sustainability of inclusive practices in public schools and has worked across the nation in public school districts to implement inclusion for over 25 years. Cassie is the Inclusion Expert for a variety of districts in Washington State where she provides professional development for everyone responsible for student growth, including: administrators, teachers, para-professionals, and families. After more than a decade of consulting on inclusion programs across Washington state, Cassie facilitated the creation of a model-school demonstration site for inclusive education in Highline School District, and with the removal of that school (McMicken Elementary) from the Focus School list for Special Education, is now in the process of scaling this process statewide as lead of the demonstration sites project. Her teacher-preparation and in-service programs focus on best practices in inclusive education. Cassie regularly presents on how to support discourse around disability, creating inclusive cultures, and high leverage inclusive practices for elementary and secondary schools.