Dr. Felicia Rutledge is an educator, advocate for diverse learners, a storyteller, and system thinker with 10+ years in K-12 and higher education. She is a Buffalo, New York native and graduated from the Buffalo Public School System. She attended Canisius College of Buffalo receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Science in Deaf Education. After teaching in the K-12 diverse learner space, she noticed the deficit paradigm narrative and the reluctance of acknowledging the brilliance of the youth. So, she decided to pursue a Doctorate in Education with an emphasis on Special Education Leadership. It was in graduate school her scholarly researched focused on Deaf Learners with Autism, systems change for youth with D/disabilities and youth who receive Individualized Education Program supports. She has served as a Multi-Tiered System of Support K-12 Project Facilitator within the Language and Literacy Department creating and presenting district level professional learning sessions and supporting school teams with academics and behavioral tiered supports.

Dr. Rutledge is passionate about her commitment to liberating learning by leveraging brilliance and serving her community. She has written award-winning grants to support teacher collaboration time, provide scholars with community-based learning, and increase language, literacy, and communication skills. She has paired with organizations to provide youth exposure to deaf culture, theater, and performance skills.

She looks forward to continuing her commitment to scholar achievement, supporting families, human talent development, and implementation of systems that are rooted in diversity, inclusivity, equity, and liberation. Currently, Dr. Rutledge is a MTSS Regional Project Coordinator for MTSS at a University.