C-N alumna Wilds speaks to education students, community

^{1986 alumna Sherry Welton Wilds}

Carson-Newman alumna Sherry Welton Wilds, was recently on campus to speak about legal issues in education.

The presentation, held in C-N’s Thomas Recital Hall, was open to the public in addition to Dr. Sharon Teets’ Foundations of Education Class, which hosted the presentation.

Wilds, a resident of Nashville, focused on the topic of students with disabilities, as well as bullying and other related issues.

The 1986 C-N graduate received her Bachelor of Science in special education, and is the senior staff attorney with the Disability Law & Advocacy Center of Tennessee.

She received her law degree from the Nashville School of Law after teaching in public schools for ten years. She also worked as director of education in a day treatment program, and served as an education diagnostician at the Psychiatric Hospital at Vanderbilt.

As an attorney, she has been an active promoter of inter-program cooperation to strengthen access to justice across the state, which won her the Tennessee Alliance of Legal Services’ B. Riney Green Award in 2006.

Wilds has trained a wide variety of professionals and individuals on laws related to disabilities and special education.

She has served on numerous boards and committees dedicated to legal and special education interests.