MSUM adjunct Jill Skarvold receives national award
2018 Outstanding Administrator of Special Education
The Minnesota Administrators for Special Education (MASE) has announced that Jill Skarvold, regional specialist for special education at Lakes Country Service Cooperative and an MSU Moorhead adjunct faculty member in the Educational Leadership program, has been named the 2018 Outstanding Administrator of Special Education by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE).
The CASE Outstanding Administrator of Special Education Award recognizes individuals making significant professional contributions to leadership behavior and field practice in the administration of programs for students with disabilities and/or who are gifted. Award nominees must possess 10 years of experience in the field of special education and must be a current member of CASE. Jill will receive the award on February 7, 2018 at the CEC Convention in Tampa, Fla.
In the Spring of 2017, Jill received the MASE Special Education Administrator of the Year Award for her dedication to students with disabilities and their families, and her active involvement in professional and community affairs.
Jill has been in the special education field for more than 40 years, and has served as the Regional Specialist for Special Education at Lakes Country Service Cooperative since 2015. She is a dynamic and dedicated educator whose contributions to the field of special education are numerous. Through her leadership and vision, she has built organizations recognized for providing outstanding and innovative specialized services for students with unique needs.
During her career, Jill was a Special Education Coordinator and Administrator for the St. Mary’s County Public Schools in Maryland. She also served as an administrator for the Department of Public Instruction and the West River Special Services in North Dakota. She was the Principal and then Director of Special Services for the Dickinson Public Schools in North Dakota, and then served as the Executive Director of Learner Support Services at Moorhead Area Public Schools from 2001-2015.
As an advocate for students with disabilities, Jill has been an active MASE member serving on the Professional Development, Nominations, Legislative, Strategic Planning, Federal Advocacy, and Stenswick Benson Scholarship Review Committees. She has served as the MASE President and currently serves as the CASE liaison. Jill has also represented MASE on the Minnesota Department of Education Task Force on Recruitment Issues for Special Education, Mild Disabilities Advisory Committee, State Advisory Committee on RtI, and the Restrictive Procedures Workgroup. Beyond Minnesota, she also served on the executive boards for the special education administrators associations in Maryland and North Dakota.
Jill earned her master’s and administrative degrees in Curriculum & Instruction and Administration from the University of Maryland. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of North Dakota.
MASE is a professional association organized to promote programs and services to improve the education of children with disabilities, to foster high quality programs of professional development, and to study problems relating to serving children with disabilities and improving the leadership of administrators for special education.
CASE is an international professional educational organization which is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children whose members are dedicated to the enhancement of the worth, dignity, potential and uniqueness of each individual in society.