Governor Abbott Appoints Six To Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee

TEXAS, April 2 - April 2, 2026 | Austin, Texas | Press Release | Appointment

Governor Greg Abbott appointed Rebecca Faulkner, Felicia Penn, and Kristen Tuttle Urbanovsky and reappointed Claudia Cavazos, April Estrada, Ed.D., and Amy Litzinger to the Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee for terms set to expire on February 1, 2029. The Committee provides policy guidance on special education and related services for children with disabilities in Texas.

Rebecca Faulkner of Rochelle is the director of special populations for Brownwood Independent School District. She is a member of the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education and the Texas Association of School Administrators. Faulkner received a Bachelor of Social Work from Tarleton State University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas Permian Basin.

Felicia Penn of San Antonio is a manager of education at the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). She became an education specialist in 2007 and moved to DFPS in 2020, as the manager of education. Penn received a Bachelor of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University, a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training from the University of Phoenix, and a Master of Social Work from Texas State University.

Kristen Tuttle Urbanovsky of Elgin is an educational diagnostician at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department-Giddings Juvenile State Correctional Facility. She is a member of the Texas Education Diagnostician’s Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the ESC13 Region Service Center-Evaluation Steering Committee. She received a Bachelor of Education in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Special Education from Texas Tech University, and is currently seeking a Doctor of Philosophy in School Psychology from the University of Houston.

Claudia Cavazos of Rosharon is the assistant superintendent of governance and leadership for Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi and the National Catholic Educational Association. Additionally, Cavazos serves as a eucharistic minister and lector at St. Christopher Catholic Church. Cavazos received a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Specialization in Bilingual Education from the University of Houston and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

April Estrada, Ed.D. of Wylie is the Director of Special Populations for Region 10 ESC. She is a member of Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education, the Council of Women School Executives, and the Texas Association of School Administrators. Additionally, she volunteers for the special needs ministry at First Baptist Church of Wylie and is an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University. Estrada received a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Texas and a Master and Doctorate in Education Leadership from Dallas Baptist University.

Amy Litzinger of Austin is a Policy Lead with Texas Parent to Parent. Litzinger received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from Southwestern University and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Austin Seminary.