Alexa Posny, Ph.D., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) on October 5, 2009. Dr. Posny has been the Kansas Commissioner of Education since June 2007. As Commissioner, Dr. Posny worked with the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBE) and the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) in their commitment to help all students meet or exceed high academic standards and to prepare them for their next steps after high school.
Prior to this, she was appointed as the Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for the U.S. Department of Education. In this position, she assisted state and local efforts to effectively educate all children and youth with disabilities, served as the primary communication link between OSEP and constituencies regarding the Administration’s priorities and initiatives, responded to constituency concerns and needs, and provided leadership for development of national consensus on the issues facing special education.
Other positions that Dr. Posny held included the Deputy Commissioner of education with KSDE, Assistant Commissioner for Learning Services, State Director of Special Education, Director of Special Education for the Shawnee Mission School District, Director of the Curriculum and Instruction Specialty Option as part of the Title 1 Technical Assistance Center (TAC) network of TACs across the United States, and a Senior Research Associate at Research and Training Associates in Overland Park, KS.
Throughout her career, Dr. Posny has been heavily involved in program, policy and compliance issues at the district, state and federal levels. Most importantly, she has been a teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels and remains a teacher today, serving as adjunct faculty with the University of Kansas.