Cassandra Holifield

Dr. Cassandra Allen Holifield is a well-respected educational leader who works in the field of Special Education with an emphasis in Emotional Behavioral Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, Trauma Informed Care, and Restorative Practices. Dr. Holifield, earned her doctorate degree (PhD) from Georgia State University in 2003 and she currently serves as the Program Manager of Behavior and Discipline for the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) Division of State Schools. Prior to that she served as the Director of North Metro Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Supports (GNETS), one of twenty-four GNETS programs across the state of Georgia which provides educational, behavioral and therapeutic support services to local school systems' continuum of services for students with disabilities, ages 5-21 who exhibit significant Emotional Behavioral Disorders and other mental health related disabilities. Before serving as the North Metro GNETS Director, Dr. Holifield served as the Director of Northwest Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS), Special Education and English Language Learning Product Manager for Western Governors University, the Emotional Behavioral Disorders Program Specialist for the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) in which she played a pivotal role in bringing PBIS to the state of Georgia then known as Effective Behavior Intervention and Supports (EBIS). Dr. Holifield was also a former Emotional and Behavioral Disorder (EBD) and Autism teacher for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) in which she piloted the first Autism class at Walter White Elementary in Atlanta Public Schools for students previously served in more restrictive settings reintegrating them back into a local educational agency. Dr. Holifield has also had the honor of serving as a Special Education Ambassador to South Africa in 2005, and is also a published author of an article and a book, "Using Self-Monitoring to Increase Attending to Task and Academic Accuracy in Children with Autism" in the referred journal, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities (FOCUS), October 4, 2010, and "The ABC's of Response to Intervention & Behavior Next Steps: A Practitioner's Guide to Implementation", October 2008. Dr. Holifield also serves as a part-time Special Education Contributing Faculty member of Walden University. Additionally, she has served on the Executive Board of the Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (GCASE) as the most recent Past President as well as served on the Executive Board of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL). As an active member of the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), Dr. Holifield served on the Diversification of the Special Education Leadership Workforce Taskforce (GSEL) and co-wrote a White Paper of the Diversification of Special Education Leadership. Dr. Holifield is a proud and active member of her sorority, the Rho Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Dr. Holifield has over 28 years of educational and behavioral experiences as a practitioner, researcher, leader, and an agent of social change positively impacting the field of special education and her community.

Courses Taught

EDUC 6637 - Literacy Assessment and Intervention to Support Student Learning

EDUC 6627 - Foundations of Literacy

EDUC 6782 - Supporting Effective Evaluation and Assessment Practices

EDUC 6791 - Special Education Due Process

EDUC 8900 - Research Forum

EDUC 6626 - Foundations of Special Education

Education

BA, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

MEd, Georgia State University

PhD, Georgia State University

Public Service

Rho Zeta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Member - Marietta, GA

Awards / Honors

Special Education Ambassador to South Africa, People to People, 2004

Executive Board Member, Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (GCASE), 2013

Executive Board Member, Georgia Network for Educational & Therapeutic Supports (GNETS), 2014

Cambridge Who's Who of America Top 101 Industry Ex, , 2010

Presentations

Holifield, C. A. (2019). The Basics of Functional Behavioral Assessments, Behavior Interventions, and the Fidelity of Implementation. Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education

Holifield, D. A. (2017). “Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavioral Intervention Plans Development Using a Triangulation of Data Process”. Teacher Educators of Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Conference (TECBD)

Holifield, C. A. (2019). The Basics of Functional Behavioral Assessments, Behavior Interventions, and the Fidelity of Implementation. Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education

Holifield, C. A. (2018). Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavioral Intervention Plans Development Using a Triangulation of Data Process. Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (GCASE)

Holifield, C. A. (2018). Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavioral Intervention Plans Development Using a Triangulation of Data Process. Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education (GCASE)