Colleen Riley, MEd, currently serves as the Director of Early Childhood, Special Education and Title Services in the Kansas Department of Education.  Colleen has provided the leadership necessary to bring the Kansas Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) framework from a grassroots effort to scale in Kansas with a focus on creating a sustainable system to meet the academic and social needs of every student.  In addition, she has worked to align state and federal accountability and technical assistance systems to implement the Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS) and the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN).  In July 2012, Kansas received an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver and Colleen assumed responsibility for oversight of the technical assistance to be provided to the focus and priority schools.
Prior to joining KSDE, Colleen was principal of a year round K-6 elementary school in Utah.  This elementary school also served the community by providing numerous educational programs for infant and toddlers and preschool students.  Colleen and her school team implemented a school-wide system of positive behavior supports, in addition to a multi-tier model of intervention for reading.  
Colleen has been a local special education director, responsible for overseeing programs birth through age 21, and an assistant director in which her major responsibilities focused on recruiting, hiring and training new special education staff.  Colleen’s teaching experience focused primarily on students with learning disabilities and students with challenging behaviors at all levels, elementary through high school.  
Colleen continues to serve on numerous boards and committees including the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) and the National Title 1 Association encouraging collaboration in order to meet the needs of every student.