Colleen Klein-Ezell

President's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

A Passion to Help Children with Special Needs

Klein-Ezell

When Colleen Klein-Ezell joined the Southeastern Department of Teaching and Learning in 2007, she hit the ground running. And she hasn’t stopped or slowed down since, her colleagues say.

Now the head of the department and professor of education with a background in special education, Klein-Ezell brought with her a spirit of service that she had cultivated in her 10 years previously at the University of Central Florida and teaching in the public schools of her native Tangipahoa Parish.

From fund raising to help students attend national conferences, serving on numerous university committees, participation in leadership positions with professional associations, or securing  grants that provide valuable services for families and children with special needs, Klein-Ezell demonstrates the characteristics that earned her one of Southeastern’s highest honors, the President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.

“For Colleen, service has been at the heart of her professional career from the day she was employed at Southeastern,” said education Professor Cindy Elliott. “She is the first to volunteer to serve on an important committee to advance the mission of the university or to support retention efforts in our department.”

Having been elected to serve on the Faculty Senate shortly after she arrived at Southeastern, she has served on numerous university, college and departmental committees, ranging from those helping to create experiential learning programs for Southeastern students to service on several standing committees in preparation for the College of Education’s NCATE/CAEP accreditation.

But her real passion comes in her commitment to assisting children with special needs and their families. Early in her college career, she worked at Hammond State School, interacting with the children and adults there providing music therapy.

“I loved it. I loved working with the kids there,” she said. “They had so much love to give. From that time on, I changed my major to special education.”

Klein-Ezell earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University, a master’s in special education at Southeastern and her doctorate at the University of Southern Mississippi. She also earned special certifications in administration and supervision at Northeast Louisiana University.

With a special interest in sensory issues in children with disabilities and the use of innovative instructional techniques, Klein-Ezell has secured more than $1.3 million in grants from the Louisiana Board of Regents to fund programs for the community and to provide learning opportunities for special education teacher candidates. These include a grant to establish Lekotect at the university. Lekotect, a Swedish word for “play library,” lends adaptive toys to area children with disabilities. The toys are designed specifically to help children with various disabilities.

Among her latest innovations was the development of two Snoezelen® rooms, which create a multi-sensory environment.  “Snoezelen® provides a calming and interactive environment, as well as an active, exploring experience for children,” explained Klein-Ezell. “The facility is available to families with children who have sensory processing disorders, traumatic brain injuries, autism or other special needs.”

Southeastern is the only university in the nation that offers both Lekotect and Snoezelen® facilities.

“Dr. Klein-Ezell plays a critical role in establishing and maintaining a strong relationship between the College of Education and the community to extend resources to assist teachers, families and community members. Through her projects, the community of families of children with disabilities have a wealth of resources, specialized equipment and activities to draw upon,” said Tamara Cannon, founder and director of the organization REACH with Disabilities.

“Her expertise and knowledge in the field of special education has been extremely beneficial to the Tangipahoa Early Childhood Community Network,” added Melanie Sledge, instructional coach with the network. “The time she has given to the community has benefited teachers, directors and students.”

Her service includes co-advising the Student Council for Exceptional Children and serving as the current president of the Louisiana Council for Exceptional Children, which recently recognized her with the Higher Education Special Education Professional Award. A member of the Education Committee of the Greater Hammond Chamber of Commerce, she works closely with the local school board to develop programs that improve educational quality for children. She currently serves on the Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council, and has been recognized several times by the Tangipahoa Parish School Board for participation in the Kids Hope mentoring Program.

“I love my work, and I always believed in the saying ‘Build it and they will come.’ That is what we are seeing with the services we are offering to these families and their special children,” Klein-Ezell said. “I love working with these families. I see them carrying such responsibilities as they try to navigate through the system. I feel for them and want to help in any way I can.”

Her efforts are helping those children and their families, as well as the countless students who have been motivated to learn and inspired to care thanks to her heart and dedication to service.