Laura Owens
TransCen Inc. President
Maryland
Laura A. Owens, Ph.D., CESP, has over 30 years of experience as a national leader in the transition and disability employment field. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM) and the President of TransCen, Inc. (TCI), an organization based in Rockville, Maryland that provides direct placement services to individuals with disabilities; develops and evaluates new service models through research of evidenced-based practices leading to improved employment outcomes; and provides training and technical assistance to organizations and school districts focusing on the improvement of educational and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. She founded Creative Employment Opportunities, Inc. (CEO) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an employment agency for individuals with disabilities in 1991 and ArtWorks for Milwaukee, a non-profit jobs-training program in the arts for youth with and without disabilities in 2001. Dr. Owens served as the Executive Director of APSE, a national organization focusing on the advancement of integrated employment for citizens with disabilities based in Washington, DC from 2008-2014.
Her areas of interest and work include competitive integrated employment, community inclusion and self-directed IEPs/transition planning. She has also utilized community conversations to successfully bring communities together around transition and integrated employment. Laura is an internationally known speaker and has published widely on transition and employment topics. She recently co-authored the book:
Planning the Transition to Employment with Drs. Wendy and Richard Parent-Johnson.