Barbara Guy is the Director of Special Education at the Iowa Department of Education and serves as the Principle Investigator for Iowa’s State Personnel Development Grant which funded the development of the SDI literacy work. In these roles she has worked with regional and local special educators to build state infrastructures and capacity to provide quality special education services and supports. Prior to her current work, Barb was Iowa’s education consultant for secondary transition.  Her broad perspectives of secondary transition derive from her work at the University of Minnesota with state systems change grants on transition, her experiences at the University of Kansas and teaching students with significant intellectual disabilities. This background has led to her recognition of the diverse needs of learners with disabilities and the belief that services and practices need to be flexible and broad enough to meet that diversity.  She is the author of several articles and book chapters on secondary transition of youth with disabilities.  In 2009 she was honored with the Mark Gold Innovative Practices in Transition Award from DCDT.