Author: Dawn G. Bentley, Ed.D.

In July 2019, Dawn accepted a new position as the Assistant Superintendent for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District (ABRSD) in Massachusetts, where she is an alumnus. She is passionate about equity for students with historically marginalized identities and their families, as well as how the language we use to talk about our work shapes culture, climate, and expectations in our schoolhouses. From 2016-19, Dr. Bentley served ABRSD as their Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, overseeing a variety of programs across the district. She currently serves as the chairperson for AB Cares, a community-based, multi-agency coalition seeking to prevent suicide across the lifespan, support those who are impacted by suicide, and destigmatize mental health disorders. Dr. Bentley is also a certified QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) program trainer and works to reach her goal of training every adult in the community to recognize the signs of depression and/or suicidality in those around them and to empower them to intervene. Dawn spent the previous twenty years in Michigan, serving as a middle school special educator, a special education supervisor, a local special education director, and an executive director of special education at the intermediate school level.