Joanne Coughlin LaCrosse, MS, SAS Honored by Cambridge Who's Who
Joanne Coughlin LaCrosse, MS, SAS has 21 years of experience

ALBANY, NY, April 23, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Joanne La Crosse, Supervisor of Special Education Policy of the New York State Education Department's Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in coordinating and supervising Special Education Policy Development and Implementation for New York State.

With an impressive background that spans 21 years of professional experience, three of which have been in her current position, Ms. La Crosse's expertise lies in the development and implementation of policies, procedures and programs to prepare students with disabilities for successful post-school living, learning and working, educational programs for students with autism, and early childhood education programs. As Supervisor of Special Education Policy, she is tasked with a myriad of responsibilities including: developing and implementing laws, regulations and policies for the education of students with disabilities ages 3 through 21; managing the activities of the New York State Commissioner's Advisory Panel for Special Education; preparing policy documents for consideration by the Board of Regents; writing guidance documents and field memorandum on topics including diploma requirements, individualized education program development and community based work programs; preparing correspondence on behalf of the Governor, Commissioner and Legislature in response to concerns from the field; conducting public hearings on proposed regulations; and developing and giving presentations and other technical assistance to school districts, families and other stakeholders in New York State.

Ms. LaCrosse has focused most of her career as a special educator on either children with disabilities from birth to 5 years old or adults with significant disabilities. Before working for the New York State Education Department, she was the director of special education in a large urban pre-school program for many years. She was also a classroom and home based pre-school special education teacher. Ms. LaCrosse was also self-employed for more than 12 years in a field unrelated to education. She owned and operated a number of pet stores in upstate New York as well as wholesale animal feed and supplies distribution sites in New York and Pennsylvania. Prior to that, Ms. LaCrosse worked as a personal habilitation counselor for adults with disabilities. She was a member of the steering committee of the New York State Interagency Task Force on Autism and worked with a team of state leaders to identify cross-system issues and develop recommendations for the New York State Legislature, Governor and Board of Regents regarding individuals with autism. It was through this project that Ms. LaCrosse worked with colleagues to develop and launch New York State's multi-agency website on autism http://nyacts.com. She has an excellent working knowledge of federal and New York state laws, regulations and policies with respect to educational services for students with disabilities.

Attributing her success to hard work, a desire to be challenged, a sense of humor, an easygoing nature, and passion for her profession, she became interested in her profession while babysitting a young boy with disabilities in her neighborhood. Each summer while in high school and college, she participated in a youth employment program in which she worked at a local agency for children with disabilities. The highlight of her career was participating in the New York State Education Department's Leadership Academy, where she worked with colleagues to identify for the Board of Regents specific structures and strategies to enhance school improvement in New York state.

Ms. La Crosse received a graduate fellowship to the University at Albany, where she also earned her Master's Degree in Educational Psychology and Special Education. She attended The College of Saint Rose for her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education. A Certified School Administrator, Supervisor and Special Educator in the state of New York, she has received the following honors and awards for her work: Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Work in the Care and Programming of Services to Children-Child Program and Family Resource Center; a Certificate of Appreciation from the Saratoga County Chapter ARC, and Outstanding Scholarship from The College of Saint Rose.

Looking ahead, she hopes to move to California to be near her adult children and work as an educational consultant.

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