BIO

Dr. Kaitlyn Millen is an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant, working with teachers, schools, and districts to support professionals with writing compliant, data-driven IEPs. She has worked in the fields of Deaf Education and Special Education for 19 years and completed her doctoral degree in special education at the University of Northern Colorado, focused on students who are deaf or hard of hearing and self-determination.

 

Dr. Millen was the director of Statewide Education and Family Services at the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, leading programming for deaf and hard of hearing students ages 3-22 in the state of Maine. This role was similar to a special education director, requiring the facilitation of IEP meetings and supporting a team of 65 staff members including teachers, speech-language therapists, occupational therapists, special education specialists, a social worker, audiologists, and educational technicians with writing and implementing IEPs. In this role, Dr. Millen worked with the Maine Department of Education to ensure IEP compliance. With training in special education law, Dr. Millen developed a passion for supporting professionals with writing data-driven IEPs and establishing clear plans for data collection.

 

Prior to directing statewide services in Maine, Dr. Millen was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of North Florida, teaching Special Education and Deaf Education courses with undergraduate and graduate students. She also worked as a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students and established summer camps for deaf and hard of hearing students in Massachusetts and Colorado. She completed her master’s degree in education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing at Smith College. Dr. Millen’s research is published in journals including the American Annals of the Deaf and the Journal of Special Education. She has provided over 46 presentations at local and national conferences including 20 invited professional development sessions on supporting self-determination development in students with disabilities. She has also led expeditions with students with disabilities, including deaf and hard of hearing students, in the Grand Canyon, Nepal, and Peru. In her spare time, Kaitlyn enjoys swimming, mountain biking, hiking, and playing with her son.