The Suffield Board of Education has selected Mrs. Diana Kelley to be the new Director of Special Services for the Suffield Public Schools. Diana comes to Suffield from the Glastonbury Public Schools where she has been a member of the Special Education department for the past eighteen years. She has served as their Director of Special Education since 2015.
There were eleven applicants for the position, of whom four candidates were selected for interviews based on their previous work experiences. A search committee that consisted of Board of Education members, administrators, faculty, staff, and parents interviewed the candidates over a period of several weeks. After three rounds of interviews, Mrs. Kelley was appointed as the Director of Special Services by the Suffield Board Of Education at its June 3, 2019 meeting.
Over the course of Mrs. Kelley’s career in Glastonbury, she served as the Director of Special Education, Special Education Supervisor, Special Education Teacher, and Special Education Paraeducator. The experience and knowledge she acquired while serving in these roles make her an ideal candidate for the position of Director of Special Services, which provides leadership to the areas of Special Education and Pupil Services. For the past four years as the Director of Special Education, she led several program initiatives that were designed to meet the diverse needs of Glastonbury students. She collaborated with administrators and teachers to strengthen the service delivery model in the elementary schools, she supported the development of a middle school co-teaching model, and she led the implementation of the Positive Choices curriculum for high schools students with developmental disabilities. She is described by her colleagues as thoughtful, supportive, dedicated, and highly knowledgeable in the realm of Special Education.
In terms of her education, Diana received her Bachelor of Science in Special Education and Master of Education in Middle School Mathematics from Central Connecticut State University. She earned her Sixth Year in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University in 2010. Additionally, Mrs. Kelley is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education program at the University of Connecticut.
We are very fortunate to have Mrs. Diana Kelley joining our team in the Suffield Public Schools. The experiences she has had while serving as a paraprofessional, teacher, and leader make her an exceptional candidate for the Director of Special Services. Beyond her extensive knowledge of special education programming and service delivery models, Diana brings with her a very open and approachable style that will be well-received by our stakeholders. We look forward to working closely with her as she transitions into her new role.
She will officially begin her new role on July 1.