With the school year underway, the College of Education’s Department of Special Education (SED) is proud to announce five new faculty members joining the college. The two clinical faculty and three tenure-track faculty are passionate, dedicated individuals who are now using their expertise to support and prepare future special educators.
Breanna Morton – Clinical Assistant Professor
Breanna Morton earned her LBS 1 from Illinois State University (ISU) in 2008 and her LBS 2 from ISU in 2022. She started her special education career at Oakwood High School, then enjoyed tenure at Urbana High School where she was also a technical director for theater productions and a tennis coach. Most recently she was an administrator at a private elementary school in Urbana, IL. Breanna is married to husband, ISU Music Therapy alum DJ Morton, and they have three children: Ella, Ruby, and Milo.
Renee Henne – Clinical Assistant Professor
Renee Henne earned her bachelor’s degree in special education and master’s in curriculum and instruction emphasizing reading from Illinois State. She taught special education at Clinton Junior High School for over 30 years. During her teaching career, she also served as department chair, RtI Coordinator, 504 Coordinator, and a mentor for new teachers. She was named the school district’s Teacher of the Year during the 2018-2019 school year.
Dr. Michelle Gremp – Associate Professor
Dr. Michelle Gremp completed her master’s degree in Deaf Education and her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Following completion of her doctoral program, she spent 2 years at Georgia State University working with a team of researchers for the Center on Literacy and Deafness (CLAD), an IES-funded grant. Her research interests focus on teaching strategies for the improvement of language and literacy development among children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She has spent the past 10 years as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Graduate Special Education Coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University where she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses.
She is thrilled to be at Illinois State University and closer to St. Louis where she has many family members, including 2 grandsons. She loves plants, reading, and baking, as well as spending as much time as possible outdoors.
Dr. Mikyung Shin – Assistant Professor
Dr. Mikyung Shin is a bilingual (Korean/English) educator and has supported students, families, and communities from diverse backgrounds. Mikyung specializes in mathematics, special education, technology, meta-analysis, and artificial intelligence. Mikyung’s research focuses on developing and field-testing technology-mediated mathematics lessons for students with learning disabilities. She has been disseminating research through open source to the public.
Currently, she is exploring pre- and in-service teachers’ awareness of generative AI as a teaching and learning tool in mathematics. She plans to continuously develop AI-aided mathematics tools and investigate AI used for social good in broader communities.
Her hobbies include playing the violin, baking pastries and cakes, doing oil paintings, and watching K-dramas. She has been serving in an orchestra chamber at the church since college and plans to keep sharing music throughout her life.
Dr. Yehyang Lee – Assistant Professor
Dr. Yehyang (Yeh-Yang) Lee is joining the department as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Lee’s research delves into the intersection of disability with other identities such as race, language, culture, and socioeconomic status, exploring how these intersections exacerbate inequalities and impact educational outcomes for youth with diverse needs. Her work challenges the systemic invisibility and multiple marginalizations faced by youths with disabilities, fostering the transformative agency of vulnerable yet potential-filled youths through education.
Prior to earning her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Lee worked as a special education teacher in South Korea, serving students with severe and multiple disabilities. She has also been an active advocate and researcher, collaborating with civil society organizations, NGOs, and governments to address educational rights and well-being of students with disabilities living in poverty.
During her free time, she loves spending time with her three-year-old black cat, Tandoori, tending to her little patio garden, cooking Korean foods, and collecting used vinyl records from local record shops. Dr. Lee looks forward to collaborating with our community of passionate Redbird educators and writing the narrative toward equitable and just public education systems together.