Rorie Fitzpatrick

Overview

Rorie Fitzpatrick (she/her) is a nationally recognized thought partner for policymakers and educators, with three decades of experience in educational leadership, policy development, and technical assistance at local, state, and national levels. She has deep subject matter expertise in organizational design, student-centered leadership, and talent development. She focuses on supporting school districts and state education agencies to realize large-scale systemic improvement for closing student learning gaps, with particular emphasis on ensuring positive outcomes for students with disabilities.

As Vice President for K-12 Systems at WestEd, Fitzpatrick leads efforts to oversee quality assurance, talent development, eminence and visibility, and business development related to special education policy and practice, strategic resource planning and implementation, and charters and school choice. For the past 10 years, Fitzpatrick has also been Director of the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI)—one of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education’s largest technical assistance investments. NCSI plays a leading role in supporting state education agencies, actively serving all 50 states and 10 territories in transforming their systems to improve results for children and youth with disabilities.

Before joining WestEd in 2013, Fitzpatrick served as Governor-appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction for Nevada. Other roles include serving as Deputy Superintendent and Director for Special Education and Federal and State School Improvement Efforts. As part of her state education agency leadership, she guided efforts to develop and oversee implementation of state regulations, supported the creation, adoption, and implementation of legislative and Governor-driven priorities, and worked to ensure effective and efficient operational systems within the agency.

She has actively led work system design and improvement for special education and school improvement under IDEA and ESSA; statewide accountability and support systems for educators, schools, and districts; and the creation and implementation of technical assistance and professional development infrastructure.

Education

• MEd, special education, University of Nevada, Reno

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Recipient, Martha J. Fields Award of Excellence, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 2020.