A Community of Educators

The consulting teams of Wanzenberg & Associates are —first and foremost— professional educators. Each consultant has thrived within independent educational careers in addition to their work with Wanzenberg & Associates.

Our advocacy team is composed of experienced school administrators and special education leaders who continue to apply decades of experience in support of students and families.

Our executive functioning team consists of highly accomplished practicing educators who bring current classroom experience and deep instructional knowledge to their work with students.

We intentionally maintain a small, highly individualized practice model. This allows our consultants to focus on meaningful relationships, thoughtful planning, and sustained support rather than high-volume caseloads.

Each consultant determines the scope of their involvement with the practice based on professional judgment, personal and professional commitments, and caseload capacity. We believe this model helps preserve the quality, responsiveness, and individualized attention that our client families deserve.

A meeting table with two people sitting across from each other, using laptops. On the table, there are notebooks, glasses of water, a small lamp, and a pen. The background features beige paneled walls, with sunlight casting shadows.

  • Sabina is a senior at Wheaton College pursuing a degree in Psychology with interests in child psychology and behavioral development. She contributes to our practice with several years of experience working with children through the Wheaton Park District, and is passionate about supporting their self-efficacy, development, and well-being. Outside of her academic studies, Sabina is a singer in the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. She is excited to apply her academic knowledge and experience while continuing to develop her skills through this internship. We are honored to have such an amazing, emerging voice for student and family empowerment at W&A! Sabina can be reached at intern@iepguardians.org or (630) 545-0234.

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Our People

Advocacy Team

Support Team

A man with short brown hair wearing a black polo shirt and khaki pants poses with a golden retriever dog. Both are wearing black bandanas with white text that reads "W&A Wartenberg & Associates." The man is crouching and has one arm around the dog, both facing the camera against a plain light gray background.
A man with short brown hair wearing a black polo shirt and khaki pants poses with a golden retriever dog. Both are wearing black bandanas with white text that reads "W&A Wartenberg & Associates." The man is crouching and has one arm around the dog, both facing the camera against a plain light gray background.

  • Dr. Matthew Wanzenberg benefits from over 32 years of experience as an award-winning special education administrator, teacher, and research professional in special education law and policy. 

    As founder and Chief Consultant for Wanzenberg and Associates, he employs a moderated approach to  communication between schools and parents. He serves a wide range of learners as an Executive Functioning Skills Coach.

    Wanzenberg has built a reputation as an effective internal advocate in public schools. Throughout his career he has fostered the tenets of inclusive and appropriately ambitious outcomes for all children.

    He maintains active certification as a special education teacher and administrator in the state of Illinois.

    Wanzenberg studied special education instruction and policy at the University of Florida as a B.O. Smith Graduate Research Assistant. As a research assistant in the University of Florida’s Research in Transition Team (RITT), he participated in the identification and development of Community Based Training (CBT) Models. He earned a Bachelor of Education in Physical Impairments and Learning Disabilities in 1993.  In 1994, he earned a Masters of Education in Transition Services for Young Adults with Disabilities. In 1999, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education Policy. 

    Wanzenberg fares from a long family line of professional educators:  he represents the fourth generation of educators in his family. As a special education teacher, he served students throughout the entire continuum of service delivery including general education support, inclusion facilitator, assistive technology consultation, resource teacher, self-contained teacher, therapeutic day school liaison, and coordinator for residential placement services.  He was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2007.

    As an administrator, Wanzenberg benefits from building level administrative experience as an Assistant Principal in a highly inclusive school district. Moreover, Wanzenberg served as a district representative or local educational representative (LEA) in IEP team meetings for over 13 years.

    Wanzenberg served as instructor in several Chicagoland teacher preparation programs. He  taught undergraduate and graduate courses in special education, educational statistics, contemporary educational issues, school supervision, school law, school finance, and methodologies in the instruction of students with disabilities.

    He worked alongside lawmakers and lawyers in policy development in special education and has assisted The Florida State Board of Education in identifying accredited school leadership competencies.  

    He is uniquely qualified in the area of IEP meeting dispute resolution. He has facilitated or participated in well over 5000 IEP meetings in his career. His track record of student-focused outcomes, moderation, and conflict resolution assisted associated school districts with an extremely low frequency of due-process and OCR complaint proceedings.

    Wanzenberg identifies his most meaningful professional accomplishment as the “positive, enriching, and enduring relationships” that have developed with families and children.

    Matt can be reached at mw@iepguardians.org and (630) 545-0234.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair smiling and speaking with another person. She's wearing a black polo shirt with the logo 'W&A WANZENBERG & ASSOCIATES' and a gold cross necklace, sitting at a table with documents and a pen.
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair smiling and speaking with another person. She's wearing a black polo shirt with the logo 'W&A WANZENBERG & ASSOCIATES' and a gold cross necklace, sitting at a table with documents and a pen.

  • Lisa Palese’s professional dedication as an advocate for students with disabilities and their families spans over 36 years. Her career has focused ensuring that students are understood, their rights are protected, and they receive the services, supports, and educational opportunities they need to succeed.

    Lisa has served as an Illinois state-approved Director of Special Education for the past 12 years. Most recently, she spent seven years as Executive Director of the Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative, leading programs and services for students with diverse and complex needs. Before that, she spent 27 years in Batavia Public School District as a special education teacher, assistant director, director, outplacement coordinator, and homeless liaison.

    These roles gave Lisa extensive experience navigating IEPs, evaluations, placements, special education law, and challenging situations between families and school systems. She also taught graduate-level courses in special education law, finance, and leadership at Aurora University. Lisa holds a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education.

    As an educational advocate, Lisa brings deep professional expertise and a family-centered perspective to the table. She helps parents understand their rights, identify what their child truly needs, prepare for important school meetings, and communicate effectively with educational teams. When concerns arise, Lisa provides a strong, informed voice—asking the right questions, challenging decisions when necessary, and working toward meaningful solutions.

    Lisa believes families should never feel alone or powerless when advocating for their child. Her goal is to ensure every family is heard, every concern is taken seriously, and every student receives an appropriate education that allows them to thrive.

    Lisa can be reached at lp@iepguardians.org or (630) 545-0234.

A man with glasses and a beard, wearing a black polo shirt with W & A Wallenberg & Associates logo, sitting at a table and talking to a woman in an office setting.
A man with glasses and a beard, wearing a black polo shirt with W & A Wallenberg & Associates logo, sitting at a table and talking to a woman in an office setting.

  • Scott Radford joined Wanzenberg & Associates in 2022 as an Associate Consultant after serving for 22 years as a Director of Special Education. Scott brings 30 years of  experience in special education, including invaluable insight and guidance to Wanzenberg and Associates.

    Scott started his career in education as a Special Education Teacher earning his B.A. in Special Education from North Eastern Illinois University. 

    Scott began his teaching career with middle and high school students within a special education cooperative that services eight local school districts. He later received his Masters of Education from the University of Illinois. 

    While working within the cooperative, Scott also served as a Vocational Education Teacher. Mr. Radford subsequently earned his type 75 Administrative Certification from Loyola University.

    While serving as Director of Special Education in a large, unified K-12 school district, Scott directly supervised the special education departments in several elementary and middle schools. 

    His work with parents and educators included the development of effective and appropriately ambitious IEPs for students with disabilities. Scott also has extensive experience working with parents and schools in the development of Section 504 and MTSS plans for students.  Moreover, Scott has wide ranging know-how in school-related dispute resolution and commands an excellent understand of the laws and processes that guide school based support.

    Scott served on the board for Resources for Community Living, volunteered for Special Olympics, and maintains membership in the Council of Exceptional Children.

    Mr. Radford is excited to continue his work with students, families and educators to best meet the needs of our clients. Scott has always maintained a student-centered approach and is adept at establishing and fostering positive relationships between schools and families. Scott understands and appreciates the roles that educators and parents have in helping students achieve their potential. Above all, Scott understands the nuances and procedures within the school system that inform his ongoing student advocacy within Wanzenberg and Associates.

    Scott can be contacted at sr@iepguardians.org, or (630) 659-5640 (cell)

Executive Functioning Team

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A woman with long red hair, smiling, sitting at a table with a notepad and pen, talking to a man whose face is not visible, in an office or classroom setting.

  • Stacy Onak joined Wanzenberg and Associates in 2016 as Associate Consultant. Mrs. Onak Wade brings with her over 30 years experience as a special education teacher, assistant principal, principal and assistant director of student services.  

    Stacy maintains  Board Certification in Advocacy for Special Education (BCASE).

    Stacy began her educational career teaching students with special needs in a private alternative school on the West Side of Chicago.  After working in the private sector she began teaching special education at the junior high school level in Aurora East School District 131. She taught in both self contained and in resource settings, while at the same time working towards her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration.  After earning her M.S.Ed, she became an Assistant Principal and then Principal, also at the junior high school level in East Aurora.  

    Stacy returned to East Aurora as an elementary school assistant principal, serving for seven years as a building level leader.    Subsequently, she retired after 9 years of service as an assistant principal in Glen Ellyn School District 41. Her responsibilities included overseeing the special education programs from Early Childhood through grade 5, including scheduling and facilitating all IEP meetings, acting as LEA at all meetings, and supervising all case managers and related services personnel.  She also served as the case manager for students requiring 504 Plans.   

    During her time as the assistant director she was responsible for leading a district level team in the development of the district’s Response to Intervention (RTI) (now Multi Tiered Systems of Support [MTSS] ) programs.  She worked with the elementary schools to implement and modify the plan, which still serves as the basis for RTI in District 41.  She also served as the district’s PBIS External Coach, and was a member of various school and district level committees, including the Building Leadership Team and the Professional Development Team. 

    Throughout her career, regardless of the position she held, Stcy Onak has always taken pride in the fact that all of her decisions have been made based on what is best for children.  She has also taken great pride in her ability to build strong, collaborative working relationships with parents on behalf of their students. She looks forward to continuing her work with Wanzenberg and Associates. 

    Stacy can be reached at so@iepguardians.org and (630) 661-2363.

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  • Tuck is our resident Fur-Ball and Chief Morale Officer. When he is not motivating students to arrive on time for their appointments, he enjoys chasing tennis balls, watching his master play Call of Duty Zombies, and running after critters.  

    Tuck dropped out from his early studies at an Amish Puppy mill and has no formal therapy dog training, but he enjoys providing post-IEP meeting relief and you may see him from time to time in our office!

    Tuck can be reached with his friends in his local dog park.

A woman with shoulder-length red hair smiling and talking to someone across a table. She is wearing a black polo shirt with a logo that reads "W & A Watkinsburg Associates" and is holding a pen.
A woman with shoulder-length red hair smiling and talking to someone across a table. She is wearing a black polo shirt with a logo that reads "W & A Watkinsburg Associates" and is holding a pen.

  • Dianne Thornburg joined Wanzenberg & Associates in 2017 as an Associate Consultant and Executive Functioning Coach.  She comes to Wanzenberg & Associates with over 35 years of educational experience in a variety of settings and roles.  

    Dianne began her career in education as a Speech-Language Pathologist in an elementary school in a southwest suburb after earning her MA in Speech and Language Pathology from Northern Illinois University. After completing her MS in Education Administration from Northern Illinois University, she led as an assistant principal and coordinated the special education program with the Special Education Cooperative for the school district.

    Dianne has since served as an elementary school principal for 20 years with one of the schools she led receiving the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence twice in a span of 9 years.  While fulfilling the role of principal in three different elementary schools in the western suburbs of Chicago, she managed numerous special education teams to serve the needs of students under IEPs, 504 plans, and through RtI (MTSS).  In the role of principal, Dianne also collaborated with District Administrators, the Regional Office of Education (ROE), and multiple placement sites regarding student rights and access to appropriate education.

    Following her retirement in 2015, Dianne has served as Interim Principal for the Bensenville and the Elmwood Park School Districts.  She is an Adjunct Professor at Concordia University Chicago in the Educational Leadership Department.

    Throughout her career in education Dianne prides herself in serving the needs of all students in ensuring the highest level of student learning.  She is committed to creating positive relationships with all constituents as a path to best meeting the needs of the student.  Dianne strengthens Wanzenberg & Associates  continuing ethic to positively impact and support the educational needs of all students.

    Dianne can be reached at (630) 977-0173 and dt@iepguardians.org

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  • Britt Hanson joined Wanzenberg and Associates in 2022. She serves as Executive Functioning Coach with the goal of “meeting clients where they are, functionally.” Using a relational, strengths-based approach, Britt partners with clients to develop a support systems that are effective and student-focused.

    As a full-time educator, interventionist, and certified school social worker, Britt views learning challenges as a pathway to understand and intervene with clients’ individualized executive functioning needs. Britt’s clients and our team at W&A benefit from her background in education and her clinical social work background which empowers her clients and helps caregivers to:

    1. Analyze comprehensive evaluations as it relates to clinical treatment of executive functioning challenges

    2. Examine mental health diagnoses and the potential characteristics and challenges that impact executive function systems

    3. Communicate how executive function difficulties are manifested in individuals diagnosed with various psychological disorders and/or are enrolled in special education programs as it pertains to assessment and treatment planning

    4. Apply effective assessment techniques based on multidimensional framework to determine executive function strengths and weaknesses and to target specific intervention needs

    5. Recommend strategies that are appropriate for fostering executive function development and/or for intervening when executive function difficulties are identifies

    6. Implement strategies that bridge the gap between “external control” and “internal self-regulation”

    7. Utilize mindfulness-based strategies, cognitive behavioral strategies and other evidence-based programs and strategies to foster executive function development and remediate difficulties 

    Britt supports our efforts at W&A as an educator, but her clinical background and insight is critical for the student populations we serve whose executive functions  are increasingly impacted by affective disorders, disregulation, and concomitant disabilities.

    Britt graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2011 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and an emphasis on Social and Abnormal Psychology. She went on to Aurora University to earn her Master's Degree in Social Work and obtain her Professional Educator license, including an ISBE Type 73 certification. Britt acquired her clinical social work license in the spring of 2022 which expanded her abilities and capacity to serve. 

    Britt lives in Geneva with her husband, Bryan, and two children, Leo ad Ellie. She has a deep love for coffee, running, and documentaries. Britt maintains her role as Social Worker Interventionist in the secondary education setting. 

    Britt can be contacted at bh@iepguardians.org or 630-545-0234.

Other Support

  • Kent joined Wanzenberg and Associates in 2018 as Executive Functioning coach. Kent maintains extensive training in EF best practice, including PESI Certification (Executive Function Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Practical Strategies to Improve Metacognitive and Self-Regulation Skills) and CogniSuite/The Kinetic Classroom training (Executive Function and Cognitive-Physical Activities).

    Kent graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. At Olivet, he also earned middle school endorsements for Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, ESL, and PE. 

    Kent has a prolific athletic background and is a NASM certified personal trainer. Some of his hobbies include soccer, bodybuilding, video games, movies, and gastronomy. Kent brings critical principles of personal training to the classroom and EF setting.

    After graduating from Olivet, Kent spent the summer of 2014 teaching English in Japan and is fluent in Japanese. Subsequently, he taught 6th-8th grade Social Studies for three years at Calvary Academy in South Holland, Illinois. 

    In 2017, Kent rounded out his experience supporting exceptional learners as a teaching assistant at Madison Elementary School in Wheaton. He simultaneously spent his mornings and evenings as a personal trainer at Wheaton Sport Center. The following year, Kent accepted a position at Algonquin Middle School as a 7th grade Science and Social Studies teacher. 

    In 2024, Kent earned a Masters of Arts in Education: Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on multilingual learners (ML).

    Kent sought this graduate degree and specialization to support English language learners who have a different primary language spoken at home. Through this coursework, Kent examined achievement gaps that currently exist for ML students, how to support their linguistic needs through tools and strategies that tap into their home language, break down unfamiliar English words into accessible vocabulary, and implement application practices that help them make connections between prior knowledge and new content. These graduate level skills and competencies compliment his effective EFsupport through intentional self-assessment, planning, and routine tasks. 

    Kent is excited to learn more about our kids and young adults,  and —above all—  support them in preparation for their journeys ahead. He loves working with middle school and high school aged students and hopes to make executive functioning meaningful and fun.

    Kent can be contacted at kjy@iepguardians.org or (630) 545-0234.

  • Hannan Gray joined Wanzenberg and Associates in early 2022. She serves as an Executive Functioning Coach with the goal of meeting each student exactly where they are at and helping them grow. She enjoys finding effective strategies and systems to help each student succeed. Her mission is to help each student find their own path in learning.  Her passion is to prevent kids with EF struggles from experiencing the same frustration she did while she was navigating her way through school.

    Hannan graduated from National Louis University in 2022 with a Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Education with endorsements in ESL and Special Education.

    Hannan maintains experience as an Early Childhood teacher. Her classroom experience compliments her EF support for a wide variety of needs and skills in house. She is often requested to support test preparation for our students seeking to improve assessment in high school, college, graduate, and and professional certification.

    In her free time, Hannan has a wide variety of hobbies. She loves to read, her favorite genre of books are thrillers and she loves a good recommendation. She loves to bake, she feels like she has perfected her chocolate chip cookie recipe after many years of trying. Hannan loves baseball. The Chicago White Sox are her favorite team followed closely by whatever team her brothers play for. She loves Harry Potter (some kids grew out of that phase, Hannan just embraced it more). She also loves a good movie or tv show. She believes that a good sense of humor will take you far. 

    Hannan is excited to continue learning and growing. She has always loved to learn and loves it even more when it can benefit the people she works with. She loves working with students of all ages and hopes to make executive functioning feel manageable and meaningful while also incorporating some fun and laughs. 

    Hannan can be reached at hg@iepguardians.org or (630) 545-0234.