Supervisor, Title III State Consolidated Grant Group, US Department of Education

Millie has worked as an Education Program Specialist at the U.S. Department of Education for sixteen years. Prior to joining USDE, she served as a Program Associate for K-16 at the University System of Maryland, and as Director of the English Language Institute for international students at the College of Notre Dame. She also taught English as a second and foreign language to all ages, from children to adults, for more than ten years in the United States, Japan, and Egypt. She has taught in many settings, from a refugee center for African and Eastern European refugees to Sony Corporation, and has also taught graduate courses in linguistics. She earned a Master’s degree in Teaching English from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and a Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Maryland. She and her husband have 3 school-age children who attend public school in Maryland.

Ruth Ryder is the Deputy Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.  OSEP has responsibility for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act program, providing financial support to States through formula grant programs and national leadership in supporting States through technical assistance, personnel preparation, parent training, technology and State personnel development. 

Ms. Ryder has been with OSEP since 1988, most recently as the OSEP Deputy Director.  In this position, she is providing national leadership in moving special education accountability to a more results-oriented process.   In addition, she is focusing attention on ensuring that the needs of children with disabilities are addressed in the major initiatives of the Department, such as ESEA Flexibility, School Improvement Grants and Early Learning. 

Prior to joining OSEP, Ms. Ryder was a program administrator for a school district in Washington State with responsibility for an OSERS funded special education demonstration project examining integrated service delivery models for including children with disabilities in general education.  She also administered the ESEA Title 1 and Title 2 programs, State-remediation, gifted education, outcome-based education, and State-and district-wide testing programs.  Additionally, she was also a special education consulting teacher and a general education classroom teacher.