(Eureka)— The Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) announces the Humboldt-Del Norte Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) Executive Director, Mindy Fattig, has accepted the position of Senior Advisor – Professional Expert in Special Education with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE).
The CCEE is a statewide agency designed to help deliver on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student. The mission for CCEE states: “CCEE serves as strategic thought partner working alongside educators to listen, identify goals and needs, promote innovative thinking and jointly solve problems.” Mindy will be working in the Statewide System of Support branch of CCEE under the leadership of previous HCOE Superintendent Dr. Chris Hartley.
“Mindy is a mindful leader who utilizes exceptional leadership skills to foster an inclusive environment that builds organizational capacity while always focusing on improving services and programs for students, “ stated Dr. Hartley. “She has the practical skills, established relationships throughout the state, and incredible expertise to serve as a pivotal force in designing a system that meets the needs of districts in our most rural settings to those in urban environments and will be an incredibly valuable member of the CCEE organization.”
Mindy has spent 24 years in education in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. She was a previous recipient of a Humboldt County “Excellence in Teaching” award as well as being named the Humboldt County Teacher of the Year, 2005-2006. In addition to her years as a classroom teacher, she has been the Director of Special Education programs for both Del Norte County Unified School District and the Humboldt County Office of Education. Mindy has spent the last 10 years as Executive Director of the Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA which oversees programs and fiscal allocation to students with disabilities across 34 school districts. In addition to her service throughout Humboldt and Del Norte counties, Mindy has participated in many statewide committees and workgroups including being on the SELPA Administrators Executive Steering Committee for the past four years and the Past Chair of the SELPA Administrators Association of CA.
“It has been my absolute honor and privilege to work with amazing students, families, educational colleagues and community members as the Executive Director for the last ten years. I am tremendously proud of what we have accomplished together and the collaborative partnerships across agencies that we have established to support students and their families. I have deep gratitude and appreciation for the passionate staff and the services they provide and I look forward to continuing this work statewide,” said Mindy.
Mindy will continue to be an adjunct professor at Humboldt State University in the Special Education Graduate Studies department and will work closely with the Humboldt-Del Norte SELPA Governance Board to ensure a smooth transition locally in the coming weeks.