Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier Award

Nominations of deserving candidates are solicited and received by the local district Board of Directors representative. The candidate of the award must be an approved Director of Special Education and must be employed (or function) as such in the LEA; demonstrate qualities of service, leadership, vision, and collaboration; is a leader who has implemented innovative programming which contributes to the field of special education. Including in the decision are qualities regarding organizational involvement, volunteerism and years of service. This prestigious award will be presented annually at the February MAASE meeting.

Nomination Form

2024 Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier Award Winner

Dr. Derek Cooley

Director of Special Education at Godwin Heights Public Schools

This annual award recognizes the outstanding service and leadership in the role of a local district special education director. The candidate of this award must be an approved Director of Special Education, and must be employed or function as such in a local district. The candidate must have a track record of implementing innovative programming which contributes to the field of special education. Criteria for this award also includes organizational involvement, volunteerism, and years of service.

The candidate for the Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier award must demonstrate qualities in five domains, which are service, leadership, vision, collaboration, and lifelong learning. I will now describe this year’s winner in each of these five domains.

The 2023 presentation delivered by Sue Toth:

Our next award recognizes the outstanding service and leadership in the role of a local director
of special education: the Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier Award. The recipient of this award must meet
the requirements from the Michigan Department of Education to be an approved Director of
Special Education, and they must be employed or function as such in a local school district.
The candidate must have a track record of implementing innovative programming which
contributes to the field of special education. Criteria for this award also includes organizational
involvement, volunteerism, and years of service.
The candidate for the Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier award must demonstrate the qualities in five
domains: service, leadership, vision, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Before we introduce
this year’s recipient, we would like to invite the 2023 award winner to briefly speak about how
receiving the Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier has impacted her work. Please welcome Shailee Patel.
Thank you Shailee - It was so exciting to present this award to you last year. It was one of
those proud moments to be able to recognize the hard work and dedication you have put into
your work.
In preparation for announcing this award, I reflected on the criteria requirements as well as the
characteristics of Mrs. Patricia Gilcrest-Frasier. I understand, from those who had the privilege
of working with Patricia, that she was someone to look up to. She has been described as being
driven and unstoppable. She was a no nonsense director who demonstrated courage when it
came to advocating on behalf of individuals with disabilities. Patricia had the qualities that a
leader and advocate must have when working in the role of supporting those with disabilities -
fearlessness.
In her honor and in the spirit her memory MAASE annually recognize the outstanding service
and leadership of a local district director of special education.
And now to hear about this year’s winner-the individual selected to be the 2024 recipient of the
Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier Award.
Our 2024 recipient has demonstrated a commitment to being a lifelong learner by earning
multiple degrees: a Bachelor’s degree in Education with a focus on Special Education, a
Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and their Doctorate in Special Education. This
Director of Special Education has been in their current position, as a local director, since 2015.
Our recipient is an active service member in a multitude of organizations at different levels. At
the local level, they have served their local Parent Advisory Committee. At the county level,
they have led or served as a committee member at their ISD for groups such as the specially
designed instruction, equity in special education and advocating to ensure student placement in
their least restrictive environment. At the state level, our awardee has been a leader and
advocate. They have served on several MAASE committees, including being the chair of the

MAASE Summer Institute. They have testified about Special Education Funding in House
Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Education in the spring of 2023. And most
recently, they have served as MAASE President and the Committee Chair for the MITTIN
Project.
In their position as Director of Special Education, this local director is incredibly passionate
about strategic planning for continuous improvement and is involved and at the forefront as a
legislative activist. He has a great sense of humor and has never shown fear when asked to
collaborate on new projects or initiatives. He is driven to make a positive difference in the lives
of students with disabilities. This Diretor demonstrates what it means to to have a vision
through their dedication to serving others.
What is unique about our award winner is that he is humble and quick to offer recognition to
others at the state, ISD, regional and local levels. His support doesn’t end with praise of others
- no. He demonstrates leadership and fearlessness in designing meaningful systems that
support his staff which improves the outcomes for students. You may ask, “what is his secret in
being able to be an agent of change? The answer is by establishing meaningful relationships
with others. His collaboration skills demonstrate his passion for his work.
Having worked with our recipient for almost two years, I can attest to his honesty and integrity.
He says what’s on his mind and it is evident that he’s not afraid to do hard work and represent
what is right for the betterment of our education systems. What I admire most about our
awardee is his sense of humor and his leadership skills. He’s a dedicated father of two all while
balancing the demands of his career.
It is my honor to introduce to you our 2024 Patricia Gilcrest-Fraizer award winner: Dr. Derek
Cooley, Director of Special Education of Godwin Heights Public Schools from Kent County ISD.

Past Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier Award Winners

2023 Shailee Patel
2019 Jennifer Taiariol
2018 Marci Moloney
2017 Deborah Koepke
2015 Dan Heitzman
2014 Wayne Abbott
2013 Sue Pearson
2012 Dr. Michele Harmala
2009 Patricia Gilcrest-Frazier
2006 Donna Tinberg
2004 Anthony Thaxton, Ph.D.
2003 Cynthia Smith, Ph.D.