Stacy Onak Wade joined Wanzenberg and Associates in 2016 as Associate Consultant. Mrs. Onak Wade brings with her over 30 years experience as a special education teacher, assistant principal, principal and assistant director of student services.
Mrs. Onak Wade maintains Board Certification in Advocacy for Special Education (BCASE).
Mrs. Onak Wade began her educational career teaching students with special needs in a private alternative school on the West Side of Chicago. After working in the private sector she began teaching special education at the junior high school level in Aurora East School District 131. She taught in both self contained and in resource settings, while at the same time working towards her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. After earning her M.S.Ed, she became an Assistant Principal and then Principal, also at the junior high school level in East Aurora.
Mrs. Onak Wade returned to East Aurora as an elementary school assistant principal, serving for seven years as a building level leader. Subsequently, Mrs. Onak Wade retired after 9 years of service as an assistant principal in Glen Ellyn School District 41. Her responsibilities included overseeing the special education programs from Early Childhood through grade 5, including scheduling and facilitating all IEP meetings, acting as LEA at all meetings, and supervising all case managers and related services personnel. She also served as the case manager for students requiring 504 Plans.
During her time as the assistant director she was responsible for leading a district level team in the development of the district’s Response to Intervention plan. She worked with the elementary schools to implement and modify the plan, which still serves as the basis for RTI in District 41. She also served as the district’s PBIS External Coach, and was a member of various school and district level committees, including the Building Leadership Team and the Professional Development Team.
Throughout her career, regardless of the position she held, Mrs. Onak Wade has always taken pride in the fact that all of her decisions have been made based on what is best for children. She has also taken great pride in her ability to build strong, collaborative working relationships with parents on behalf of their students. She looks forward to continuing her work with Wanzenberg and Associates.
Stacy can be reached at saow@iepguardians.org and (630) 661-2363