h2 truetrue Randall Owen Ph.D. Associate Professor of Special Education, NCED Director Emailrandallowen@unr.edu Phone(775) 784-6385 William J. Raggio <p>This 118,000-square-foot building opened for classes in fall 1997. It houses the <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education">College of Education</a>. Formerly known as the College of Education Building, the structure was renamed in 2003 in honor of Nevada State Sen. William J. Raggio, a Reno native, Nevada graduate and longtime K-12 and higher education advocate in the state of Nevada.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/cfrc" class="intLink">Child and Family Research Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/deans-future-scholars">Dean's Future Scholars Program</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/elc">Early Learning Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/cll">E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/learning-and-resource-center">Nell J. Redfield Learning &amp; Resource Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/raggio-center">Raggio Research Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education</a></li> </ul> 080 WRB 39.5420223482299 -119.815093427896 false /global/images/around-campus/raggiobuilding.jpg 1997 4102 0285 /main/images/colleges-schools/education/home/profile/education/nced/randallowen.jpg /main/images/colleges-schools/education/home/profile/hero/nevadarural.jpg <p>Randall Owen joined the College of Education &amp; Human Development as the Director of the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (NCED) and Associate Professor in Special Education. Randall has 15 years of experience conducting research on and with people with disabilities to better understand the impact of policies on their lived experiences. Primarily he has explored healthcare and employment policies across the United States and in Australia and the United Kingdom. Randall has been the Principal Investigator on many grants, including from the federal government, state departments and agencies, and local organizations. He is a mixed-methods researcher, with extensive experience conducting interviews and survey research. Among his areas of interest are disability studies, human rights, inclusion, diversity, leadership, accessibility, family support, and civic engagement.</p> <p>Originally from West Michigan, Randall completed undergraduate work at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He earned a Ph.D. in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and joined the faculty of their Department of Disability and Human Development and served as the Associate Director of the Institute on Disability and Human Development, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for Illinois. For the last year, Randall has conducted research with the University of California, San Francisco. Randall is looking forward to bringing his unique skills, perspective, and experiences to the University of Nevada, Reno, and the NCED and exploring new collaborations and opportunities within the College and across Nevada.</p> <p>Ph.D., Disability Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago</p> Diane Thorkildson NCED Assistant Director Emaildthorkildson@medicine.nevada.edu Phone(775) 682-7025 William J. Raggio <p>This 118,000-square-foot building opened for classes in fall 1997. It houses the <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education">College of Education</a>. Formerly known as the College of Education Building, the structure was renamed in 2003 in honor of Nevada State Sen. William J. Raggio, a Reno native, Nevada graduate and longtime K-12 and higher education advocate in the state of Nevada.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/cfrc" class="intLink">Child and Family Research Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/deans-future-scholars">Dean's Future Scholars Program</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/elc">Early Learning Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/cll">E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/education/centers-student-resources/centers/learning-and-resource-center">Nell J. Redfield Learning &amp; Resource Center</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.unr.edu/raggio-center">Raggio Research Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education</a></li> </ul> 080 WRB 39.5420223482299 -119.815093427896 false /global/images/around-campus/raggiobuilding.jpg 1997 4101 0285 /main/images/colleges-schools/education/home/profile/education/nced/dianethorkildson.jpg /main/images/colleges-schools/education/home/profile/hero/unrflowercloseup.jpg <p><span>Diane Thorkildson is currently serving two roles within the College of Education. She is the Clinic Coordinator for the University Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment and the Family Faculty member for NvLEND.&nbsp; Both projects are supported by the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities.&nbsp; Diane holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and a Master's Degree in Public Health.&nbsp; Prior to joining the College of Education, Diane work for several community-based nonprofit agencies providing administrative, grant management, and program development services.&nbsp; She specializes in developing evidence-based programming and services for vulnerable families and children, especially families affected by addiction, poverty, violence, and disabilities.</span></p>