John H. Hager, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education, is pleased to share with you news of the appointment of a new director for the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Alexa Posny as the Director of OSEP effective April 17, 2006. Since 2001, Posny has served as the Deputy Commissioner of Education in the Kansas State Department of Education. In this position, she was responsible for the overall operations of the Learning Services Division, leading and supervising the delivery of services for school districts and teacher-preparation institutions. These services included school improvement and accreditation; licensure and teacher education; state and federal education programs; special education and technical education; and planning and research. Thanks to Posny's leadership, Kansas is viewed as a national leader in the inclusion of students with disabilities in its statewide accountability system. Posny has been invited to OSEP and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) on numerous occasions to share Kansas' experience in implementing alternate assessments under IDEA and the No Child Left Behind assessment provisions for students with disabilities.

Posny began her career as a teacher of students with emotional and learning disabilities. Prior to her appointment as deputy commissioner, she served as the State Director of Special Education for the Kansas State Department of Education. During her career, Posny has been a Director of Special Education in school districts in Kansas, Wisconsin and Illinois, and the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Title I Technical Assistance Center in Kansas. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Kansas. Posny holds a doctorate in Educational Administration with a minor in Special Education, as well as a master's degree in Behavioral Disabilities from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. In addition, she has published numerous articles and resource guides over the years.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Troy Justesen for his leadership as acting director of OSEP, and to all of the OSEP staff for their continued high performance and focus on improving results for infants, toddlers, children, and youths during this transition.