Heather is a Principal Research Specialist with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. She primarily works with and on behalf of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system. Her research and inquiry is driven by her desire to ensure that system involved youth, especially those with disabilities, are provided relevant, effective, research-based instruction, career preparation, and transition services that promote productive engagement upon release. She has served as PI or Co-PI on numerous federally funded projects focused on improving special education, career preparation, STEM, and reentry services and supports including PLEDJJ (Preparing Leaders in Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice, INSITE (INtegrating STEM Into Transition Education) https://education.asu.edu/projects-and-impact/insite-integrating-stem-transition-education-incarcerated-learners, and RISE-IT (Reentry Intervention and Support for Engagement through Integrating Technology) Second Chance Act Grant https://education.asu.edu/news/rise-it-project-in-az-juvenile-correction-system. She is Conference Director for TECBD (Teacher Educators for Children with Behavioral Disorders) https://education.asu.edu/annual-tecbd-conference, and a member of ASU's Social & Behavioral Institutional Review Board.