David Adams - Senior Director of Strategy at The Urban Assembly

David is the Senior Director of Strategy at The Urban Assembly. He previously served as the Director of Social. Emotional Learning at the Urban Assembly, and prior to that was the Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator for District 75 where he shaped the District's approach to social-emotional learning for students with severe cognitive and behavioral challenges. He has worked internationally in schools in England, standing up and evaluating programs of positive behavioral supports and Social-Emotional Learning as a research intern at Yale University’s Health, Emotion and Behavior Lab, and published multiple academic papers around the relationship of social-emotional competence, and student academic and behavioral outcomes. David is also co-author of The Educator's Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence, which was published in 2020. He is married with two children, serves on the Board of Directors of CASEL and is an Engineering Officer in the Army Reserve. David holds an M.Ed in Educational Psychology from Fordham University.

Nancy Mather, Ph.D. - University of Arizona, College of Education, Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Nancy Mather is a Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has served as a learning disabilities teacher, a diagnostician, a university professor, and an educational consultant. She has published numerous articles and books and conducts workshops on assessment and instruction both nationally and internationally. Dr. Mather is a co-author of the Woodcock-Johnson IV. Her most recent book on dyslexia is: Essentials of Dyslexia: Assessment and Intervention. She is currently working on the Tests of Dyslexia, a comprehensive measure designed to help identify individuals with dyslexia.

Heather R. Pierson - Legal Issues in Special Education: Case Law Review

Heather R. Pierson joined Udall Shumway PLC in 2009. She is a member of the School Law section, representing the firm’s education law clients throughout the State.

Ms. Pierson comes to Udall Shumway PLC uniquely qualified in the area of special education law. Prior to joining Udall Shumway, Ms. Pierson taught behavior disordered students. During her teaching career, Ms. Pierson was involved in the development and implementation of Individualized Education Plans (“IEP”) and behavior plans and attended several trainings on special education and regular education interventions and strategies. While in law school, Ms. Pierson provided in-home ABA services for autistic children under the age of three and participated in the Whittier Law School Special Education Clinic, which provided special education advocacy services for children with developmental disabilities. Additionally, Ms. Pierson earned her Master’s Degree in Special Education in 2004.

                Ms. Pierson primarily focuses her practice on special education and disability related matters. She routinely defends school districts and other public educational institutions in matters related to disability law matters, such as special education due process hearings, Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) complaints, Section 504 due process hearings, mediation, and special education state complaints. She provides daily advice and assistance in matters related to special education, Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, student discipline, personnel issues and student records. Ms. Pierson taught Contemporary Developments in Special Education Law through Northern Arizona University during the Spring of 2014. She has also given in-service workshops to district personnel on a wide range of special education and disability related topics and speaks at state-wide conferences.