About EEI

Everything you need to know about EEI.

Explore our brand statement, board introductions, and position statements in one place.

Official Brand Statement

A Human-Centered Vision for Special Education Advocacy


At Evolve, we believe every child deserves to be accepted exactly as they are, and fully supported in their journey through school and beyond.

We are a team of former educators and current parents with both professional and personal experience navigating the special education system. We've seen firsthand how challenging it can be for families to access the Free Appropriate Public Education their children are legally entitled to. Too often, families are expected to become legal experts just to secure basic services, and the burden falls hardest on those with the fewest resources, particularly families facing the compounded barriers of language, race, and economic inequality.

Evolve was created to change that. Our mission is to partner with families and schools to create a collaborative, informed, and human-centered approach to special education. We equip families with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to advocate effectively, arriving at the IEP table informed and empowered rather than overwhelmed and alone. We believe that when families understand their rights in plain language, conflict gives way to partnership, and partnership produces better outcomes for every child.

We don't claim to be the only experts in the room. Instead, we serve as a bridge, connecting families to the specialists, researchers, and community leaders who can best support their child's unique needs, while honoring the lived experience that families bring to the table as expertise in its own right. We translate in both directions, ensuring that expert knowledge reaches the families who need it and that the real experiences of those families shape the solutions being built for them.

We believe communication is not just a soft skill. It is the difference between a child accessing their education or being pushed out of it. We remove language barriers through multilingual advocacy, coach families on effective communication with their care teams, and work with schools to recognize that a student's behavior is often communication itself, a signal of an unmet need, not always a disciplinary matter.

We believe in practicing radical humanity: treating everyone in the process, students, families, educators, and administrators, as human beings first. By building authentic relationships, centering lived experience, and dismantling the belief that disabled students need to be "fixed," we work to create educational environments that are naturally accessible to every learner.

Together, we're not just helping families navigate the system. We're working to change it for the better, one family at a time.

Three Pillars of Successful Special Education Support


Three pillars. Total support. 
A mother in a white teacher hugging her son and daughter with their backs to the camera.

Home

Bridging home and school with connection groups, sibling workshops, and personalized in-home support.

School

IEP/504 advocacy focused on collaborative team-building and empowering family communication skills.

Self

Empowering students to own their accommodations, embrace their identity, and set healthy boundaries.

Leadership

Meet Our Board Members

Our board brings together lived experience, professional expertise, and a shared commitment to helping families feel informed, supported, and empowered throughout their special education journey.

Board member headshot

Katy Petrik

PRESIDENT

Katy co-founded Evolve Empowerment Initiative, bringing a perspective grounded in lived experience. For ten years she worked in NC's More at Four initiative, bringing preschool experience into public schools to improve kindergarten outcomes for marginalized communities. She holds a degree in Birth through Kindergarten education and has spent her recent career in business management, operations, sales, and communications, even coaching volleyball along the way.
While navigating the special education system as a parent, she witnessed how race, income, and English proficiency stack the deck against families who need the most support, and it is why she does this work: removing barriers and leveling the playing field until outcomes stop depending on who you are or what you have.
Board member headshot

Jessica Yaman

VICE PRESIDENT

Jessica Yaman is a dedicated educator, advocate, and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Programs at Evolve Empowerment Initiative. With nearly two decades of experience spanning classroom instruction, project coordination, and educational advocacy, Jessica is deeply committed to fostering academic achievement and supporting families as they navigate special education systems. Her career is rooted in a passion for inclusion, having begun her work supporting autistic students, and she continues to champion tailored support for learners of all abilities.

Driven by her experience as a parent of two and a former elementary school teacher, Jessica brings a unique, empathetic perspective to her advocacy work. She believes in the power of humor and connection to resolve conflict and move conversations forward. Whether managing complex educational advocacy frameworks or designing instructional experiences, Jessica translates technical requirements into actionable, learner-centered guidance. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a graduate certificate in Learning Design and Technology, combining her extensive practical background with a strategic, data-informed approach to empowering families and improving long-term student outcomes.

Board member headshot

Colleen K. Vesely

SECRETARY

Colleen K. Vesely, Ph.D., is an associate professor and Academic Program Coordinator (APC) of Inclusive Early Childhood Education in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Vesely’s studies family partnership and family-led systems change, particularly among families from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, linguistic, and ability backgrounds. Dr. Vesely uses Family-Centered Participatory Action Research (FCPAR) approaches to transform systems of oppression and injustice within early care and education to create equity. Specifically, Dr. Vesely examines the experiences of young children and families who experience structural marginalization to understand how they navigate early care and education systems and spaces while negotiating parenthood in the U.S. Dr. Vesely’s work has been funded by the Spencer Foundation, Fairfax County Office for Children, Bruhn Morris Family Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Dr. Vesely received her PhD in Family Science from the University of Maryland-College Park in 2011.

Board member headshot

Grace Francis

BOARD MEMBER

Dr. Grace L. Francis is an Associate Professor of Special Education at George Mason University, where her work centers on strengthening partnerships between families and professionals to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities. A researcher and advocate with a Ph.D. in Family and Disability from the University of Kansas, she has spent her career focused on ensuring that people with significant support needs — and the families who support them — have a genuine voice in the systems meant to serve them.
Her scholarship spans family-professional partnership policy, transition to adulthood, and post-school quality of life, with published work reaching audiences both nationally and internationally, including collaborative research supporting inclusive education efforts in Mexico and Ethiopia. She is co-author of Families and Professionals: Trusting Partnerships in General and Special Education, a foundational text in the field. Dr. Francis brings to the board deep expertise in translating research into practical, family-centered policy and practice — a perspective well-suited to advancing the organization's mission of educational equity and advocacy.
Board member headshot

Sabra Lowery

BOARD MEMBER

Sabra Lowery, Ed.S., is a retired educator with over 30 years of experience as an early childhood educator in Michigan and as a teacher and administrator for Fairfax County Public Schools.
She worked as a Head Start teacher and daycare center director while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Teaching. After relocating to Northern Virginia, she continued to seek ways to serve children with disabilities and their families. Sabra worked as a general and special education teacher and obtained her Master of Education (Special Education) from George Mason University. As an administrator, she served as a Standards of Learning/Extended School Year specialist while earning her Education Specialist degree and administrative endorsement from George Washington University; she later served as an assistant principal at four elementary schools. In all of these roles, she dedicated herself to finding and creating environments where all children are invited, included, and given the opportunity to thrive.

Board member headshot

Lisa Verne

BOARD MEMBER

Lisa is the VP of Partnerships Benetech and overseas outreach, community, and advocacy work for Benetech’s Bookshare initiative. Lisa is an expert on special education policy and law, accessibility, and family and school collaboration, especially as it relates to accessible educational materials. She has a PhD in Special Education and Policy from UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University as well as a MA in Special Education from Santa Clara University.

Board member headshot

Jihyae Choe

BOARD MEMBER

Jihyae Choe is an aspiring early care and education scholar in the PhD program in Inclusive Early Childhood Education at George Mason University, with expertise in family-centered participatory action research, family engagement, early childhood special education, and culturally responsive research. She earned her Master's degree in Applied Developmental Psychology with a focus on young children's cognitive development and intervention among diverse children at risk of developmental delay. As a doctoral candidate, her research centers on partnering with families to better understand their lived experiences and advance equitable access to early care and education for diverse families of young children with disabilities.  As a board member of Evolve Empower Initiative, Jihyae supports the organization’s mission by fostering meaningful community connections and helping ensure its impact remains focused on what matters most to families. Her perspective contributes to thoughtful organizational growth, responsive programming, and a strong sense of shared purpose. She brings a deep commitment to inclusive education, community collaboration, family empowerment, and relationship-centered advocacy.

Position Statements

Q&A on Our Position Statements

Explore the values and beliefs that guide Evolve Empowerment’s advocacy, communication, and family-centered approach to special education support.

What is Evolve Empowerment’s core position on special education advocacy?
We believe every child deserves access to an education that honors their humanity, respects their individuality, and provides meaningful support. Our position is that advocacy should empower families, strengthen collaboration, and help ensure students receive the services and accommodations they are entitled to.
Why does EEI emphasize family-centered support?
Families know their children in ways no system ever can. We believe the most effective special education planning happens when families are treated as essential partners, their lived experience is respected, and they are equipped with clear, practical tools to participate confidently in decision-making.
What is EEI’s position on communication between schools and families?
We believe communication should be clear, respectful, accessible, and rooted in partnership rather than conflict. Our position is that schools and families both benefit when expectations, concerns, and student needs are discussed in plain language and with a shared commitment to problem-solving.
How does EEI view disability and student behavior?
We reject approaches that treat disabled students as problems to be fixed. We believe disability is part of human diversity, and we recognize that behavior often communicates an unmet need. Our position is that supports should be compassionate, individualized, and designed to increase understanding rather than punishment.
What does “radical humanity” mean in EEI’s position statements?
Radical humanity means we center the dignity of every person in the process—students, families, educators, and administrators alike. It reflects our belief that advocacy should be both effective and compassionate, creating space for real relationships, mutual respect, and more inclusive educational environments.
Position Statements

Q&A on Our Position Statements

Explore the values and beliefs that guide Evolve Empowerment’s advocacy, communication, and family-centered approach to special education support.

What is Evolve Empowerment’s core position on special education advocacy?
We believe every child deserves access to an education that honors their humanity, respects their individuality, and provides meaningful support. Our position is that advocacy should empower families, strengthen collaboration, and help ensure students receive the services and accommodations they are entitled to.
Why does EEI emphasize family-centered support?
Families know their children in ways no system ever can. We believe the most effective special education planning happens when families are treated as essential partners, their lived experience is respected, and they are equipped with clear, practical tools to participate confidently in decision-making.
What is EEI’s position on communication between schools and families?
We believe communication should be clear, respectful, accessible, and rooted in partnership rather than conflict. Our position is that schools and families both benefit when expectations, concerns, and student needs are discussed in plain language and with a shared commitment to problem-solving.
How does EEI view disability and student behavior?
We reject approaches that treat disabled students as problems to be fixed. We believe disability is part of human diversity, and we recognize that behavior often communicates an unmet need. Our position is that supports should be compassionate, individualized, and designed to increase understanding rather than punishment.
What does “radical humanity” mean in EEI’s position statements?
Radical humanity means we center the dignity of every person in the process—students, families, educators, and administrators alike. It reflects our belief that advocacy should be both effective and compassionate, creating space for real relationships, mutual respect, and more inclusive educational environments.