Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Kirsten Behling, MA
Associate Dean of the Student Accessibility and Academic Resource (StAAR) Center at Tufts University
Kirsten Behling is the co-author of Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education (West Virginia University Press, 2018) and Disability Services in Higher Education: An Insider's Guide (Temple University Press, 2023). She has worked as a disability services professional at four different institutions and consulted and worked with many other institutions of higher education around Universal Design for Learning, and disability services best practices.
Behling co-developed Suffolk University’s graduate certificate program Disability Services in Higher Education and continues to teach several of the courses. Her professional goal is to embrace the diversity of learners by providing educators with the tools they need to engage and instruct students with flexibility and excitement.
Blackboard/Anthology Presenter
Katie Grennell, PhD
Global Accessibility Strategist
Dr. Grennell is an accessibility strategist supporting clients in their adoption and deployment of Anthology Ally (a digital accessibility tool). Before joining the Ally team, she served as an institutional effectiveness consultant, an account manager, and a senior education and training specialist at Anthology. Grennell has worked as an adjunct in the disciplines of history, American studies, American popular music, and disability studies for over 15 years at multiple institutions throughout Western New York. Her book Disability and Accessibility in the Music Classroom: An Instructor’s Guide (Routledge) was published in 2022.
Daemen Presenters
Jennifer Babcock, MS
Executive Director of Teaching, Assessment and Design Excellence
Jennifer joined Daemen in April 2024 and comes with over 15 years of experience in education, serving diverse roles as a professor, instructional coach, teacher, trainer, project manager, and director. Throughout Jennifer's career, she has supported teachers and leaders in the planning, execution, and adoption of instructional strategies, and helped develop new assessment measures to make meaning out of student data. Jennifer is also the Secretary of the Executive Board for Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve.
Devon Cozad, MS, MA
Research and Instruction Librarian
Devon began teaching across local campuses in 2015 and recently made the shift into librarianship. Devon joined Daemen in August 2022. She currently serves as the Chair of the Western New York Library Resources Council’s Library Education Advancement and Partnership Committee (LEAP). With a perspective ranging from K-12 and higher education, public and academic librarianship, Devon looks forward to holistic collaborations across campus to support everyone’s information literacy needs.
Debbie Dimitrovski, MA
Director of Accessibility Services
Debbie has been at Daemen for about three years, but she has been working in education for 25 years. For 5 years, she served as chairperson on the Western New York Collegiate Consortium of Disability Advocates and in that capacity co-authored the workbook Effective College Planning for Students with Disabilities — A Workbook for Students, Parents and School Personnel. She was also a contributing author to the New York State Resource Guide for Post-Secondary Disability Services Offices, which is distributed statewide to new providers.
Tony Surace, MEd, ATC
Executive Director, Center for Interprofessional Learning & Simulation (CILS)
Tony has over 27 years experience as a director/manager in the areas of sports medicine, orthopaedics, physical therapy, athletic training, and interprofessional simulation. His role as Executive Director of the CILS is in the area of simulation and providing interprofessional collaboration with students, professionals, and faculty members as well as coordinating the schedule use of the CILS by all. He has been at Daemen since 2018.