Superintendent of Schools Announces Special Education Administrator Appointment

Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 9.10.27 AMCarleen Wood has been appointed Special Education Administrator for the District by Superintendent Dr. McKersie. The appointment is effective July 31, 2014.

Ms. Wood is returning to the Greenwich Public Schools after leaving in 2007 to accept a position as the Assistant Director of Special Education for the Darien Public Schools.

An educator for 27 years, Ms. Wood has extensive teaching and administrative experience in Special Education.

Dr. McKersie said, “We are excited to welcome Carleen Wood back to the Greenwich Public Schools. Her colleagues in Darien are reluctant to see her go, and for good reason. Ms. Wood is an experienced special educator and has a deep understanding of the many facets of the program, including statutes and legislation, instructional models and strategies for diverse learners, managing the demands on staff, and supporting students and parents throughout the process.”

Ms. Wood is assuming the Special Education Administrator position open due to the retirement of Sharon Turshen, a long-standing educator with the Greenwich Public Schools.

Administrative candidates are selected after a comprehensive search and appointment process, which includes widespread recruitment efforts, multiple interviews, and extensive reference and background checks.

Ms. Wood has been an educator, focused on the teaching of children with special needs, for twenty-seven years. She began her career in the Stamford Public Schools in 1987 teaching in a self-contained classroom and then as a resource room teacher.

In 2000, she became a Special Education Facilitator for the Stamford Public Schools.

In addition to her teaching and administrative duties, she also served as consultant on the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards National Advisory Committee (NAC) – Exceptional Needs Division (1998-1999), where she read and critiqued the Exceptional Needs Standards for the NAC.

In 2002, Ms. Wood was hired as Program Coordinator – Special Education for the Greenwich Public Schools.

In 2004, she became the Assistant Principal at Cos Cob School before transferring to Glenville School in 2006.

Ms. Wood made valuable contributions to the Greenwich Public Schools in professional development, the implementation of new curriculum and programs, and the supervision and evaluation of staff.

In 2007, she accepted her most recent position in the Darien Public Schools as the Assistant Director of Special Education.

Ms. Wood received a BA in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven in 1986; a Masters in Special Education Consultation and Collaboration from Fairfield University in 1995; and a CAS in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut, Stamford in 2001.