Melissa Robertson Hired as MISD’s new Director of Special Services

Mercer Island, WA, May 8, 2023 – Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle is pleased to announce the hiring of Melissa Robertson as the new Director of Special Services.

“I am very excited to welcome Melissa to the Mercer Island School District,” said Rundle. “Melissa brings to our district a rich background in serving students and leading adults. This coupled with the partnerships she forged with other organizations will ensure we continue the great work we are doing. ”

“It is with great joy that I look forward to joining the Mercer Island School District team and collaborating on behalf of students with disabilities across the system,” said Robertson. “My desire is to see every student valued within their unique strengths and challenges, and for each student to experience access and belonging within their school communities. I hope that the strengths that I bring in communication, program and organizational development, and special education leadership will only enhance the wonderful work that is already being done within the district.”

Over the past three years, Robertson has been Director of Special Education for the Stanwood Camano School District where she has led inclusive practices and worked with the district team to build inclusive programming from preschool through 12th grade. As part of this work, she has been collaborating with the UW Haring Center to support professional development for staff through OSPI’s Inclusionary Practices Project (IPP); and this year the district was asked to be one of sixteen statewide demonstration sites because of their extensive work across the system. Along with this work, Robertson has supported the development of behavioral and instructional programming, created district compliance systems, led district Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) efforts, developed ongoing professional development systems, and collaborated with building leaders and teams in all aspects of their work around special education, inclusion, and MTSS.

Prior to working with Stanwood Camano Robertson spent three years doing consulting work with state and national agencies on leadership development, organizational culture development, special education, conflict management, and team building. From 2012-2019 she served in the Issaquah School District as the Executive Director of Special Services where she collaborated with teams to develop leadership models, instructional programming, behavioral programming, professional development plans, and operational systems to support student growth.

The through line from the beginning of her career as a special education teacher to her current role has consistently been to support the highest quality programming for every student within inclusive school settings. Robertson is invested in the collaborative process across systems and communities as they look to build inclusive programming for students with disabilities, and she understands the importance of building plans that incorporate research and evidence-based strategies, while also collaborating with all stakeholders around a five-year planning cycle.

Melissa grew up in Bellevue and has spent most of her life in the Seattle area. She has two adult children who live in the area, and she loves to be with family and friends. Melissa is an avid hiker, and you will find her outdoors as often as possible! She also loves to travel, read, and go to great restaurants. She values living with joy, faith, wholeheartedness, and love.

Robertson will be introduced to the School Board at the Thursday, May 9, meeting and will start her role with MISD on Monday, July 1. Robertson replaces Dr. Sue Ann Bube, who was in the role for the previous five years.