2018 Rising Alumni: Renáta Tichá
Renáta Tichá is a leading researcher and advocate in the field of special and inclusive education as well as adult services for individuals with disabilities. She has a master’s and PHD in educational psychology, and today plays an important international role as the Director of the Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education at the U of M Institute on Community Integration. The GRC collaborates with entities around the world to improve education policies and practices. She has secured several federal grants to work with universities in five countries and brought many students to the U.S. to experience special education in this country. She is recognized for her expertise in progress monitoring, inclusion education, and service delivery for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Employer
Researcher, University of Minnesota Institute of Community Integration
CEHD Degree
MEd Special Education, Educational Psychology, 2002;
PhD Educational Psychology, 2008
Please list any professional accomplishments you wish to mention.
I have been fortunate to be awarded multiple national and international grants in special and inclusive education as well as in adult services for people with disabilities to be able to move this work forward, together with my colleagues. I have authored or co-authored numerous publications on the same topic.
Please list any past or current volunteer activities.
Volunteering in schools that include or specialize in educating students with disabilities in the US, Czech Republic and the UK. I am a board member and a journal editor for the International Association of Special Education. I am the president of the Czech & Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota.
Please list any awards or honors from your collegiate, professional, or volunteer experiences.
M.Ed. Award of Recognition for commitment to profession and community, University of Minnesota, 2002
Favorite University of Minnesota memory
Learning new exciting things in the field of special education along with my classmates from all over the US and the world.
What professor(s) or course(s) were most influential during your time in CEHD?
Bob Utke, instructional strategies in special education. Frank Symons, observational research methods. Michael Harwell, statistics in education
What was the impact and benefit of your educational experience in CEHD?
I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and analytical skills during my graduate degrees, understood research and met many of my current colleagues.
Who has inspired you the most during your career?
Teri Wallace at the Institute on Community Integration with her wisdom and passion for her work.
What skills are important to succeed as an emerging professional today?
Innovation. Caring. Collegiality.
What are your hobbies?
Read or walk my dog
How do others describe you?
Passionate and down to earth
How do you describe yourself?
Passionate and down to earth
What's a good book you'd recommend to others?
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
If you could have coffee with anyone from history, who would it be?
Mary Magdalen
What gets you excited about work?
The thought that my work may have a positive impact on the lives of children, youth and adults with disabilities.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher
Outside of your job, how do you grow professionally?
Have dialogues with my colleagues, co-author publications with them, network at conference.
What is a "fun fact" about you?
I speak multiple language and love to learn new ones.