Kirsten Myers

2026 Recipient

Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Kent ISD

2026 Award Presentation Speech

Award presentation by Tina Lawson, MAASE President

Great leadership is defined not just by the positions held, but by the lasting mark left on the lives of students, educators, and communities. Today, we honor an exceptional leader whose career spans over two decades of relentless advocacy, innovation, and unwavering commitment to special education.

The story of this year’s Beekman Award recipient began with a strong foundation in education—earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Cognitive Impairments, and Psychology, followed by a Master’s in Educational Leadership and formal approval as a Special Education Supervisor. Armed with this expertise, she stepped into administration and immediately began transforming systems to better serve students.

Early in this administrator’s career, she recognized that to truly support students with disabilities, educational systems needed to be redesigned from the ground up. As a local director, she co-led transformative improvements to Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports, establishing a district model that gained statewide recognition. Always a champion for student literacy, she championed evidence-based reading instruction, ensuring that students with diverse needs received the targeted support necessary to thrive in the general education setting.

Yet, this leader’s vision has always extended far beyond traditional academics. Understanding that a student cannot learn if their mental and emotional well-being is overlooked, she launched comprehensive youth mental health initiatives, suicide prevention efforts, and annual community education series. Recognizing that supporting students requires supporting the educators who serve them, she later established an innovative wellness campaign, offering school staff year-round access to resources designed to strengthen their mental, physical, and emotional health.

At the systems level, this administrator’s impact continues to resonate across the entire region and state. She developed widely utilized frameworks on prioritizing relationships to reduce problem behaviors, building safe learning environments, and navigating Least Restrictive Environment processes. To streamline services for thousands of educators, she spearheaded the development of special education software solutions and data systems for behavioral threat assessment—tools that now serve partner regions representing nearly a quarter of the state’s total population. Driven by a desire to uplift fellow educators, she created a groundbreaking bi-annual special education conference designed specifically to provide role-specific professional learning on navigating complex behaviors, writing meaningful IEPs, and conducting high-quality evaluations.

Those who work alongside this nominee often marvel at how she balances such an extraordinary workload. Colleagues describe her as intensely driven, remarkably efficient, and capable of moving complex, high-impact initiatives forward with speed, precision, and deep intentionality. Yet, amid all of this visionary work, she remains profoundly human and deeply collaborative. She possesses a rare gift for recognizing the unique strengths in others, intentionally positioning team members where they can do their best work, and using the evaluation process not for compliance, but as a coaching tool to build confident, skilled leaders.

Remarkably, this incredible work ethic and professional dedication is matched only by a deep commitment to family. As a devoted parent to three highly active children who all went on to compete in collegiate athletics, she brought that same intentionality and care home—never missing a single game.

Throughout this distinguished career, the field has repeatedly paused to recognize her excellence. From local outstanding employee honors to statewide recognition for pioneering work in Response to Intervention processes, the accolades have been many. Most notably, she is a past recipient of the Murray O. Batten Humanitarian Award—one of the highest honors in special education within our state, awarded to those who exemplify unmatched integrity and dedication.

Within our own professional organization, this leader’s service has been foundational. She has served as chair of the Special Education Instructional Leaders Network Board, represented peers on the Board of Directors, and worked tirelessly to ensure that special educators across the state have the tools and resources they need at their fingertips. Today, this outstanding administrator serves as an Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, overseeing a wide, comprehensive continuum of support including special education, English Learner services, foster care support, and behavioral health. And finally, in a role that reflects the absolute trust, respect, and admiration of special education leaders across the entire state, she has also served as the President of MAASE.

It is an honor and a privilege—on behalf of the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education—to present the 2026 Marvin Beekman Award to Kirsten Myers, Assistant Superintendent of Kent ISD! Kirsten, your ability to constantly elevate standards while keeping the focus squarely on the human element is inspiring. Congratulations once again to Kirsten Myers, our Beekman Award recipient!