Aligning Gen Ed and Special Ed: Leadership Strategies to Break Down Silos

About the Presenters

Mike Leddy began his professional journey in college athletics and outside sales before transitioning into the field of education, where he has built a 13-year career. He started as a special education teacher, spending two years working in an emotional disturbance resource room unit through the Hancock County Educational Service Center and Findlay City Schools. He later shifted into educational leadership, serving as the Athletics Director for Kenton City Schools for three years. Following that role, he returned to Findlay City Schools, where he spent four years as both a Special Education Coordinator and Assistant High School Principal.

For the past four years, Mike has served as the Director of Student Services at Kenton City Schools, where he continues to support students, staff, and families through leadership, program development, and student support services. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in education (Intervention Specialist, K-12) and a master’s degree in business. He maintains his Intervention Specialist teaching license along with both his Administrative License and Superintendent License. He is married and a proud father of three daughters, ages six, five, and one and a half.

Autumn Francisco is a skilled educator and behavior specialist with a strong background in special education and applied behavior analysis. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from Bluffton University and began her career in 2019, teaching in the emotional disturbance resource room at Kenton Elementary School. In 2022, she earned a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis, further deepening her expertise in supporting students with behavioral needs. In 2023, Autumn was selected to serve as the Districtwide Behavior Coach for Kenton City Schools. In this role, she supports staff and students across the district with behavior intervention strategies and programming.

She has completed her supervised fieldwork hours toward her Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification and is currently preparing to sit for the BCBA exam. Autumn’s passion for working with children began in high school when she worked as a home health aide for two young boys with autism. That experience sparked a lifelong commitment to the field of behavior. Outside of her professional life, Autumn is a devoted wife and mother. She and her husband are proud parents to a daughter who will turn two in June.

Brandy Samuell, M.Ed. is a dedicated educator with over 32 years of experience. She has been involved in all facets of public education from classroom teacher to assistant superintendent. Brandy’s knowledge base spans general education, special education, mental health support, and school turnaround. She has experience working in charter, rural, suburban, urban, and virtual school settings. Brandy currently serves as the Director of Mental Health and Related Services at eLuma. Brandy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing degree from Texas Tech University in 1989 and a Master of Education, School Counseling degree from Texas Christian University in 2002. She has completed post-master’s work in educational diagnostics and educational leadership from the University of the Southwest.

In addition, Brandy is certified in Critical Incident Stress Management; she has managed multiple school-related crises as well as provided crisis management and crisis response training for school staff and community-based first responders. While Brandy has a broad scope of knowledge and interests, the majority of her career has been dedicated to supporting the emotional and behavioral needs of students as well as managing, coaching, and developing staff. In her spare time, Brandy enjoys being outdoors, spending time with her animals, and working in her yard.