Kimberly Smerkers-ED. D is an organizational specialist for the NSHA Coalition. During her 33 years in education, she has worn many hats. In 2018, she returned to the classroom after twenty-four years in administration. From teaching elementary and high school students, serving as a special education district administrator and elementary school principal as well as designing a district professional learning program for over 2500 employees. As a senior program associate for WestEd’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, her work focused on assisting local education agencies to improve their special education services and programs for all diverse learners, coaching for ensuring special education compliance, and implementing continuous systems improvement strategies, In addition, Dr. Smerkers consulted with school districts with implementing dispute resolutions and corrective actions and developing special education programming to meet federal and state regulations as well as resulting driven learning outcomes. She has presented at the national, statewide, and local levels and served as a faculty member for several local universities. In 2021, she was nominated for the PBS Northern Nevada Teacher of the Year and in 2022, she received the Washoe Education Association Leadership Award.

Nancy Kuhles, M.S. CCC-SLP, is a Speech Language Pathologist with over 39 years of experience in public education in Nevada and currently works as an educational consultant focusing on special education and related service issues. Nancy is Co-Chair of the Nevada Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (NSHA) Coalition to Address Personnel Shortages. She is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), Nevada Speech Language Hearing Association (NSHA) and High Sierra Area Health Education Center’s (AHEC) Board of Directors. She has served in leadership positions in the Nevada Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and related local, regional, and national organizations.

Since 2005 she has collaborated with numerous local, state, and federal agencies, associations, organizations, institutions of higher education, advocacy groups, legislative bodies, and individuals in gathering and disseminating information, as well as implementation of strategies, targeting recruitment, retention and training of school- based special education and related service personnel in Nevada.

Christine graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. She has been a school-based practitioner since 2002. She served as the Nevada Speech-Hearing Association’s president in 2004 and has been the coalition's co-chair since it began in 2005. Christine is currently working on getting a Master of Education in Educational Leadership.