Our Staff | |
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John R. Beattie, Ph.D., Director of Curriculum and Assessment is a nationally recognized authority in the field of special and remedial education, leads the ABC staff of educators, therapists and psychologists who identify and meet the special needs of students. Dr. Beattie is a professor in the Department of Counseling, Special Education and Child Development at UNC Charlotte. He is responsible for research, teaching and service in special education with major responsibility for the graduate licensure sequence in learning disabilities and the undergraduate licensure sequence in mental handicaps.
Early in Dr. Beattie’s career he worked as a special education teacher in Alachua County Schools, Gainesville, Florida and later as a diagnostician at Shands Hospital Learning Disabilities Clinic. He has written and contributed to many textbooks and articles on evaluating and teaching students with special needs in regular classrooms. He has created teaching materials, written and directed numerous grants, served as a consultant and presented workshops throughout the world. Dr. Beattie has worked extensively with ADD/ADHD children and adults, providing psycho/educational evaluations and strategies for students to help support their educational experiences |
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Denise Cloran Gruender, B.S., Executive Director, oversees all ABC activities and helps coordinate the admission screenings program. She was an elementary school teacher in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System prior to the inception of ABC Educational Services. She received a Baccalaureate of Science in Elementary Education with dual minors in Reading and Early Childhood Education from Ohio Northern University.
Denise is active in the community, speaks publicly on educational issues, directs the youth program at her church and has held seats on private local school boards in previous years. As an experienced educational professional and mother of two young daughters, she is vitally aware of the educational concerns of teachers and parents. |
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Jo Ann Crabbe, B.S., M.A., Director of Admissions Screening,is an integral part of the educational assessment team as well as the director of our admissions screening program. She earned a Baccalaureate of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Elementary School Counseling from The Ohio State University before teaching in Long Beach Unified School District in California, Columbus City Schools in Ohio and overseas in schools for the children of U.S. Armed Services personnel.
During many of her years with Columbus City Schools, Jo Ann served as school counselor and consultant to the gifted program there. Her wealth of experience, wisdom and genuine concern for others continues to enrich the programs at ABC. |
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Linda Goddard, M.A., CCC-SLP, Co-director of Speech and Language Services, has over twenty years of experience working with pre-school and school age children. She has a Baccalaureate of Arts from the University of Colorado and an MA from the University of Denver. Our ABC Language Stimulation School is a direct result of her vision for children with speech/language delays to succeed in a language-rich environment. She has been a director of our school since its inception at ABC |
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Terry Knudsen, B.S., Director of Educational Projects, integrates the skills of the ABC staff with the needs of our clients, provides project planning, reference support, community contact and actively participates in the evolving educational projects at ABC. She received her Baccalaureate of Science from The University of California, at Davis. Before moving to Charlotte from California, Terry held a seat on a school board, was a member of Tenaya School Site Council and later taught elementary and middle school students in Groveland-Big Oak Flat School District.
Terry’s enduring desire is to help individuals of any age and ability reach their full potential. She promotes a friendly, flexible atmosphere where innovative strategies thrive along with traditional “tried and true” techniques. |
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Laura Walton, M.S., CCC-SLP, Co-Director of Speech and Language Services, has over fourteen years of experience working with pre-school and school age children as well as adults. She has a Baccalaureate of Science and a Master of Science from Miami University, Oxford Ohio. As a mother of a child with special needs, Laura readily identifies with the many challenges and rewards our families experience during the early childhood years. |
| Other members of our professional staff include counselors, academic teachers, speech/language therapists and occupational therapists with many years of experience. All of these individuals strive to help individuals improve their individual performance. | |
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ABC Educational Services, Inc.
Suite 102
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