Meet our 2026 Professional Award Recipients
CEC’s Professional Awards celebrate the educators, leaders, and scholars whose passion and commitment are transforming the field of special education. These awards honor colleagues whose work elevates practice, strengthens research and policy, and meaningfully improves instruction and supports for individuals with disabilities. By recognizing their achievements, we not only celebrate excellence, we inspire others and advance CEC’s mission.
The winners of these Professional Award will be honored at CEC’s 2026 Convention and Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The CEC Teacher of the Year Award
This award honors an outstanding special educator whose instructional practices create effective, inclusive, and individualized learning environments.
Rebecca Saunders
Rebecca Saunders serves as an intervention specialist at Hayes High School. Her peers nominated Saunders for her ability to “blend real-world experiences with individualized instruction,” including the creation of the school’s pantry and free store. The selection committee was also impressed by Saunders’ commitment to mentoring new teachers and paraeducators. Thank you to Let’s Go Learn for sponsoring this award.
The CEC Special Education Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes a CEC member who has made continued and sustained contributions to positive outcomes for children and youth with exceptionalities.
Dr. Mary Brownell
Dr. Mary Brownell was a Professor of Special Education at the UF School of Special Education, School, Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies. She was the founder and former Director of the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR Center). Her career started in 1981, serving as a teacher in Justin, Texas. Throughout the years, Dr. Brownell has served in a variety of roles, both in the classroom, and in higher education. She has contributed to many publications on topics like high-leverage practices, teacher preparation and professional development for teachers of students with disabilities, special educator effectiveness, and special educator shortages
The Outstanding CEC Leadership Award
This award honors a CEC member who has made significant contributions to the Council’s programs and activities at the local, state/provincial, and national/international level over an extended period of time.
Dr. Shirley Dawson
Dr. Shirley Dawson served as a professor and the director of the Teacher Assistant Pathway to Teaching program at Weber State University. She has been an active CEC member since 1997, participating in several divisions throughout this time, like the Teacher Education Division and the Division on Career Development and Transition.Dawson currently serves as the chair of the Utah CEC Legislative Committee and CAN Coordinator. She also served as the chapter advisor for the Student Council for Exceptional Children at Weber State University. She is committed to member engagement and professional development, having secured funding to support student travel to CEC’s Conventions and Special Education Legislative Summit.
The CEC Special Education Research Award
This award recognizes a CEC member whose research has had a direct impact on practice, programs, or policy needs and has improved positive outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.
Dr. Paul Morgan
Dr. Paul Morgan serves as the Empire Innovation Professor Social and Health Equity Endowed Professor and the Director of the Institute for Social and Health Equity at the University of Albany, SUNY. His research focuses on how health and education systems can more effectively identify and support students with, or at risk for, disabilities. His work has had a profound impact on practices, programs, and policies in special education, improving education outcomes for children and youth with disabilities, particularly those from historically marginalized populations.
The CEC Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor Award
This award recognizes college/university CEC Student Chapter Advisors who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to engaging students in their CEC Chapter and guiding their educational, personal, and professional development in the field of special education.
Dr. Jamie Mahoney
Dr. Jamie Mahoney has served as the Faculty Advisor for Murray State University’s student chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children for several years. She is noted for her devotion to the organization, dedicating her time, energy, and personal resources into the chapter to ensure that all students feel engaged, supported, and welcomed. The chapter is recognized as one of the most active, service-oriented, and student-centered organizations on campus.
Dr. Lisa Didion
Lisa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the School of Education and Human Science at the University of Kansas. She has been an active CEC membership since her university years, having served as the President of the student CEC chapter of the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006 and more recently, as the Vice President of Iowa CEC from 2020 to 2023, and a member of the Professional Development Committee for Kansas CEC since 2024. As the faculty advisor for KU’s CEC chapter, Lisa has been noted for her passion for advocacy and student empowerment.
The CEC Special Educator Rising Star Award
This award recognizes CEC member teachers in the first five years of their special education career who have shown exceptional potential for leadership in teaching, service, and/or scholarship.
Nerwin Balilu
Starting at Desert Wind Middle School in 2021, Nerwin Balilu has cemented himself as mentor to his colleagues and an unwavering partner to the families he serves. He has played a key role in helping his fellow educators refine their instruction, assisting with writing IEPs, leading meaning, offering tips, and strategies, and facilitating professional development. He prioritizes open and collaborative partnerships with families to prioritize his student's success, leading to marked improvements in state assessment scores.
Rosel Joy Dalisay
Rosel Joy Dalisay is the first international teacher to serve at the Crow Agency Public School, which largely serves children of the Crow Tribe. She is noted for her dedication to her students, approaching her work with cultural respect and responsiveness, and drive to learn. She entered Crow Agency Public School with an elementary education endorsement and accepted the position as a special education teacher at a time when there was an urgent need to fill that role. As she worked, she also pursued her Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification in Special Education K-12, which she completed summa cum laude.
Michael Kovach
Michael Kovach serves as a Special Education Teacher at the Roxbury Board of Education colleagues have noted his strong commitment to the school, playing a role in creating a welcoming school culture where students feel safe and valued. He serves as the defensive coach for the high school ice hockey team and often steps ups to serve as the school mascot to help energize students during pep rallies and events. Michael has been nominated for his school’s Teacher of the Year award for the past two years, despite not yet being eligible to run, reflecting his colleagues and community’s respect and support for his contributions.
Jillian Lindrose
Starting her career in 2022, Jillian Lindrose has stood out for her willingness to go above and beyond, both for her students and in her commitment to the special education field. Managing a caseload of students with diverse needs, she provides specially designed instruction and works collaboratively with general education teachers to support each learner. Jillian is an active member of CEC-Ohio, participating in professional development, conference planning, and statewide programs that the unit offers.
Kelly Wilson
Kelly Wilson wears many hats, teaching in a preschool classroom, providing iterant TVI services across the Phoenix region, and teaching in the Saturday and Summer SHARP (Sports, Habilitation, Arts, and Recreation Program) at the Foundation for Blind Children. Through her many roles, Kelly goes above and beyond to ensure the students and families she works with feel supported and informed.
The CEC Outstanding Paraeducator Award
This award recognizes CEC paraeducator members who are currently involved in direct or related services to students with disabilities and provide exemplary service to students and special educators.
Louanna Esponge
Louanna Esponge works at Raceland Middle School, where she is known for her creative problem-solving skills, her unwavering advocacy for every student, and the support she extends to students and colleagues alike. Her focus on learner-centered classrooms has created a safe and encouraging environment, where all students can thrive.