Carolyn Teigland, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Carolyn joined MCIE in 2022 as Director of Professional Learning, enabling districts in several states to build inclusive school practices, and was appointed MCIE’s CEO in 2023. As an experienced educator and Associate Superintendent for Education Services in Cecil County Public Schools, she led her district's transformation from a highly segregated model for educating learners with disabilities to an inclusive model where children are educated in their neighborhood schools and general education settings. Carolyn has provided Congressional testimony on inclusive education and received several awards, including Principal of a Distinguished Title I School in 2000 by the MD Association of Elementary School Principals, the Breakthroughs in Inclusive Education Award for the Most Promising Inclusive School District in 2008 by TASH, the Breakthrough in Inclusive Education Award as Administrator of the Year in 2014 by TASH, and the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Administrative Leadership award in 2016 by the University of Kansas. Carolyn is deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Email Carolyn: cteigland@mcie.org
Tim Villegas, B.A.
Director of Communications
Tim joined MCIE’s communications team in 2020, implementing MCIE’s communications and marketing plan, and leading MCIE communications through blogs, podcasts, social media, webinars, and product development. Throughout his prior sixteen-year career as a special education teacher, Tim advocated for the inclusion of learners with significant disabilities in general education classrooms and systems change in schools and districts; and spent three years as a district-level program specialist supporting learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), emotional and behavioral needs, and intellectual disabilities. He founded Think Inclusive, now MCIE’s official blog.
Email Tim: tvillegas@mcie.org
Jeffrey Wyatt, M.Ed.
Secondary Transition Facilitator
Jeff joined MCIE to support the Maryland State Department of Education’s Secondary Transition priority, and through that work offers resources and technical assistance on secondary transition services to Maryland public schools. Prior to coming to MCIE, Jeff was an educational/transition specialist. Jeff is a strong advocate for individuals with disabilities achieving successful outcomes in areas of employment, education, training, and independent living.
Email Jeffrey: jwyatt@mcie.org
Brittni Sammons, M.Ed.
Professional Learning Coordinator
Brittni joined MCIE in 2023 as a Professional Learning Coordinator after over 20 years in education with Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS). She has served as a Special Educator, Assistant Principal, Inclusive Education Facilitator, and Supervisor of Instructional Performance. Throughout her career, Brittni has advocated for students with disabilities to learn in general education and has a passion for culturally responsive instruction. She has developed and implemented professional learning specific to co-teaching, culturally responsive instruction, and inclusive practices. Brittni has presented as well as designed and facilitated workshops at TASH based on scheduling with natural proportions, learner planning, flexible services, and culturally responsive instruction. In addition, she has experience with instructional coaching. One of the advantages of Brittni’s experiences is that it included over five years in a partnership MCIE with implementing inclusive practices and leading systems change in her previous school system.
Email Brittni: bsammons@mcie.org
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Carol Quirk, Ed.D.
Director of Special Projects
Carol is one of the founders and former CEO of MCIE, having transitioned to Director of Special Projects in early 2023. As a national leader in inclusive education and systems change, she works with state education agencies, districts and schools to build the capacity of educators to authentically include all learners in their school communities. Prior to MCIE, Carol was the Executive Director of an adult services agency in Baltimore City, consultant to Philadelphia Public Schools, Early Intervention Specialist for MSDE, Director of Technical Assistance to Early Intervention Programs in North Carolina, and special education teacher in Connecticut. Carol served on the Board of Directors for TASH, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, and was appointed to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She also served on the Executive Team for the SWIFT Center. She is the recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumna Award, the Top 100 Mid-Atlantic MBE Entrepreneurs, and the Brava! Award for Baltimore area executives who give to their community. Carol has brought MCIE’s practices to promote inclusive education to Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Kazakhstan, Australia, and Viet Nam.
Email Carol: cquirk@mcie.org
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Kathi Foley, M.Ed.
Professional Learning Facilitator
Kathi first joined MCIE in its early years before leaving to work in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. She served on the MCIE Board of Directors from 2019-2020 and was glad to return to MCIE’s staff in 2020, where she has been leading professional learning workshops, consulting with school teams, and conducting an action research project related to provided specially designed instruction in virtual and hybrid classroom environments. Kathi taught at both the high school and elementary levels with a broad range of learners. She also served as a district resource teacher in two school districts with a focus on building the capacity of school staff to successfully plan for and include learners with significant disabilities.
Email Kathi: kfoley@mcie.org
Carmen Diaz, Ed.D.
Professional Learning Coordinator
Carmen joined MCIE in 2023 after more than 15 years in the education field. An experienced teacher, instructional coach, director, and district leader, Carmen has demonstrated her commitment to advocating for the needs of historically underserved populations such as students with disabilities, English learners, and students of color. During her tenure as an educator in Connecticut, Carmen led her colleagues in acquiring new instructional practices as well as effecting change on a school and district level to positively impact students and families. As an instructional coach, Carmen worked with district and charter schools on school improvement initiatives, curriculum development, and educator and administrator coaching. Carmen continued to share these practices at state, national, and international conferences, and served on the boards of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and the Council of Educator Association for New York State. Carmen is committed to helping educators meet the needs of all learners.
Email Carmen: cdiaz@mcie.org
Elizabeth Bloom
Administrative Assistant
In 2021, Elizabeth joined MCIE as the Administrative Assistant. She provides administrative support to the CEO and MCIE staff. She also provides extensive bookkeeping support to the Director of Finance. For the last 6 years, Elizabeth worked for a nonprofit organization with duties for operations management, fundraising development, and strategic planning. It was her passion for the nonprofit sector and her desire to work part-time in an administrative support role that brought her to MCIE.
Email Elizabeth: assistant@mcie.org
Mary Barnard
Director of Finance and Business
Mary joined MCIE in 2004. In conjunction with the CEO, she oversees and manages all aspects of MCIE’s financial functions, including the day-to-day accounting, budget development and management, and financial statement preparation. In addition, she helps manage and oversee daily operations and some aspects of human resources. Starting in public accounting at Ernst & Young, Mary has more than 36 years of accounting and financial management experience, with the last 22 years solely in the nonprofit sector.
Email Mary: accounting@mcie.org
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Barb Gruber, Ph.D.
Project Coordinator
Barb has worked at MCIE for over 25 years with a focus on systems change and building the capacity of school-based staff to include all learners. She also is currently a lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she teaches an inclusive practices course. Barb has brought several projects to MCIE, including training and technical assistance for schools and districts in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, and Arkansas, as well as a 5-year national technical assistance project for the Professional Development in Autism Center with the University of Washington.
Email Barb: barb@mcie.org
Nolan Taylor, M.Ed.
Project Coordinator
Nolan coordinates MCIE’s online teaching and learning coursework, conducts workshops on inclusive education, and works on projects with the Maryland State Department of Education to advance the capacity of educators in Maryland to include children with disabilities. Before joining MCIE, Nolan was an elementary teacher in rural Oregon where he included learners with disabilities and provided training and support to other teachers in his district. He prides himself on dynamic student-led environments, equity in all discussions, humor, and supporting educators to be their best.
Email Nolan: ntaylor@mcie.org