I currently serve as a Special Education Inclusion Consultant for the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) in Kentucky. At heart, I am a special education teacher, having spent the first 12 years of my career in Texas and Tennessee classrooms before moving into instructional coaching for three years. That role broadened my perspective beyond my classroom to building- and district-level work.
While completing my last seven years in the school system, I also earned my doctorate in special education from Walden University. My dissertation—Circumstances and Experiences of Regular and Special Education Teachers in Inclusion—highlighted the need for systemic change to better support educators in delivering high-quality, inclusive services. Now, in my role as consultant, I’m thrilled to help bring those recommendations to life by supporting and empowering educators at the classroom, school, and district levels.
On a personal note, I have a young family of four: my husband, our daughter, and our son. As a third-generation educator from the Philippines, I deeply value education and hope to instill that same passion in my children. Coming from a hardworking middle-class family, I believe learning is a lifelong journey and that we should always ask ourselves: “Is what I am doing helping make this world a better place?” Reach me through email grace.absher@grrec.org