AUCD - Plenary B: Achieving Inclusive Communities - Working with our Federal Partners
<< Back to ProgramTuesday, November 13, 2018 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Location: Grand North/Central
Session Description
Don't miss this opportunity to hear from key leaders in these two critical federal agencies, Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, and engage them in discussion and questions.
Presenters
Johnny W. Collett, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
Lance Robertson, Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator, Administration on Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Watch archived video of this plenary
1.5 CEUs hours (social work) are available for this session through the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Learn more, including how to get your certificate (in-person only).
About our Speakers
Johnny W. Collett, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
Johnny Collett is the assistant secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the United States Department of Education. In this capacity, he serves as the advisor to the U.S. education secretary on matters related to the education of children and youths with disabilities, as well as employment and community living for youths and adults with disabilities. The mission of his office is to improve early childhood, educational, and employment outcomes, and to raise expectations for all people with disabilities, their families, their communities, and the nation.
Prior to joining the department, Collett served as the program director of special education outcomes at the Council of Chief State School Officers. Collett also served at the Kentucky Department of Education as the state's special education director, as an assistant division director, and as an exceptional children consultant.
Collett, a former high school special education teacher and church pastor, graduated from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky in 2005 with a Master of Arts in education. Collett also holds a certification in learning and behavior disorders from Kentucky.
Lance Robertson, Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator, Administration on Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Lance Robertson was appointed to serve as Assistant Secretary for Aging and ACL's Administrator on August 11, 2017.
His vision for ACL focuses on five pillars: supporting families and caregivers, protecting rights and preventing abuse, connecting people to resources, expanding employment opportunities, and strengthening the aging and disability networks.
His leadership in the fields of aging and disability began in Oklahoma, where he served for 10 years as the Director of Aging Services within the state's Department of Human Services. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Oklahoma State University, where he co-founded the Gerontology Institute and served as the executive director of the nation's largest regional gerontology association.
Asst. Sec. Robertson earned a master of public administration degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, and he is a veteran of the United States Army.