CASE Executive Director Set To Retire - Search Initiated

For Immediate Release
Contact: Dr. Luann Purcell (lpurcell@casecec.org)
478-333-6892

Warner Robins, GA - April 26, 2019 - The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) Executive Director Dr. Luann Purcell has announced plans to retire at the end of February 2020. A search for Dr. Purcell’s replacement is underway.

Dr. Purcell leaves CASE as a robust and vibrant organization of leaders, with a membership of nearly 4,000 Directors of Special Education internationally. The organization provides leadership in policy, professional learning and special education leadership. Phyllis Wolfram, President of CASE, shared that “it has been an honor and a privilege to work with Dr. Purcell. She is admired and respected across the nation and has contributed significantly to the field of special education. Her dedication and commitment to local special education administrators in unmatched! Thank you cannot begin to express our appreciation for all that Dr. Purcell has brought to this organization.”

Dr. Purcell cites the positive culture of leadership as one of the association’s greatest strengths. “When I started in 2002, one of my main goals was to constantly look at what our membership needed and how CASE, through support of our subdivisions, could meet those needs. Strong CASE and state/provincial leaders were the critical factor in meeting those needs!” Dr. Purcell’s passion for CASE has been clear through her consulting and advising administrators on best practices for leadership and development of quality programs for students with disabilities; assisting members in developing networking systems through state, provincial, and country units in order to provide better services to members; advocating at the governmental level to assure appropriate legislation to facilitate the development and maintenance of quality programs for students with disabilities; and providing Keynote/breakout sessions/etc at state/provincial and regional conferences on leadership, legislative/policy updates, attitude adjustment, the passion in compassion, and other current education issues.

As a colleague and leader, Purcell will be deeply missed. Past President Gary Myrah reflects that “Luann has worked tirelessly to have CASE be a champion for children with disabilities and their families. She has built an incredible network of partner organizations that have a similar mission to provide the best opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She may be retiring from being the executive director, yet she will continue to be a leader in the field of education.”

President-Elect Erin Maguire adds, “Luann is an incredibly strong leader and has brought CASE to a point of national recognition for expertise and knowledge in the field of special education. She is a compassionate leader who has supported our organization tirelessly. CASE is supported through a network of volunteers and passionate educators who Luann fully supports and elevates to ensure local directors have a voice at the national level.”

Purcell came to CASE after 30 years in education. She has been a leader at the local and state unit level within the Council for Exceptional Children and the Council of Administrators of Special Education throughout her career. Dr. Purcell has had a variety of experiences in public education including experience as a general education teacher at both high school and middle school level, teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, coordinator at a regional educational service center, and assistant superintendent for pupil services for 18 years in a local district with 27,000 students. She has keynoted and led sessions in 47 states, 3 Canadian provinces, and 4 foreign countries on various educational issues and the development of proactive leadership skills in times of change.

CASE has benefited tremendously from her experience and will continue to benefit from her leadership for years to come.

The organization plans to initiate a search for the next executive director in the coming weeks with President-Elect Erin Maguire chairing the search team. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Mrs. Maguire at emaguire@ewsd.org or via phone at 802-857-2018. 

A copy of the job posting is available by clicking here.

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