Tiffany Litman Receives MASE New Special Education Leader Award
March 14, 2025
The Minnesota Administrators for Special Education (MASE) has named Tiffany Litman, Executive Director of the Area Special Education Cooperative (ASEC), recipient of the 2025 New Special Education Leader Award. Litman receives this award for her commitment to students with disabilities and their families and her active involvement in professional and community affairs. She will be honored at a statewide recognition ceremony during the MASA/MASE Spring Conference in Brooklyn Park on March 20-21, 2025.
“Tiffany’s positive attitude and eagerness to collaborate make her a true asset to any team. Her willingness to engage with colleagues, share insights, and help find solutions has made her a valued member of the Regional Directors. Tiffany’s collaborative spirit has not only improved the efficiency of our Regional Directors’ meetings but has also helped build stronger relationships within our region,” wrote Brenda Story, Executive Director of Bemidji Regional Interdistrict Council (BRIC) along with three other BRIC directors, in their letter of support. “Tiffany is a self-motivated leader who actively seeks opportunities for professional growth, both for herself and for others. Whether it’s taking on new challenges or sharing best practices with her colleagues, Tiffany’s dedication to growth and development is evident in everything she does.”
Litman has served as the Executive Director of ASEC since July 2023, where she has prioritized inclusive education, professional development, and innovative programming to support students with disabilities. Recognizing a critical gap in the region, she has led efforts to establish a Setting IV - Educational Learning Center, ensuring students with significant needs have access to specialized instruction and therapeutic support. This initiative reflects her ability to take bold steps toward systemic change while collaborating with district leaders, state agencies, and community partners.
Under her leadership, ASEC has expanded professional development opportunities, including the ResourcED virtual training series, the New Special Education Teacher Cohort, and the Due Process Bootcamp, all designed to strengthen educator expertise and compliance with special education regulations. She has also helped establish a Behavior Support Team to equip educators with targeted intervention strategies for students with diverse behavioral needs.
Litman is a dedicated member of MASE and serves on multiple committees, including the Legislative, Membership, and Communications Committees. She actively collaborates with regional and state leaders, advocating for sustainable policies and funding to support special education services. As part of a regional directors' group, she collaboratively authored and secured the Minnesota Special Education Teacher Pipeline Grant, which provided $2.1 million in funding to support the recruitment, training, and retention of future special education teachers—helping to address critical staffing shortages and enhance workforce development across multiple districts.
Beyond MASE, Litman’s leadership extends to various advisory and collaborative groups, including the MDE Inclusion Advisory Committee, SpEd Forms Advisory Committee, and multiple county collaboratives. She is passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and fostering partnerships that enhance the quality of special education services statewide.
Litman earned a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a Master of Arts degree in Education from Augsburg College. She holds a Bachelor of Business Management from the College of St. Scholastica. She is licensed as a Director of Special Education and in K-12 Emotional Behavioral Disorders and Learning Disabilities.
“Tiffany’s positive attitude and eagerness to collaborate make her a true asset to any team. Her willingness to engage with colleagues, share insights, and help find solutions has made her a valued member of the Regional Directors. Tiffany’s collaborative spirit has not only improved the efficiency of our Regional Directors’ meetings but has also helped build stronger relationships within our region,” wrote Brenda Story, Executive Director of Bemidji Regional Interdistrict Council (BRIC) along with three other BRIC directors, in their letter of support. “Tiffany is a self-motivated leader who actively seeks opportunities for professional growth, both for herself and for others. Whether it’s taking on new challenges or sharing best practices with her colleagues, Tiffany’s dedication to growth and development is evident in everything she does.”
Litman has served as the Executive Director of ASEC since July 2023, where she has prioritized inclusive education, professional development, and innovative programming to support students with disabilities. Recognizing a critical gap in the region, she has led efforts to establish a Setting IV - Educational Learning Center, ensuring students with significant needs have access to specialized instruction and therapeutic support. This initiative reflects her ability to take bold steps toward systemic change while collaborating with district leaders, state agencies, and community partners.
Under her leadership, ASEC has expanded professional development opportunities, including the ResourcED virtual training series, the New Special Education Teacher Cohort, and the Due Process Bootcamp, all designed to strengthen educator expertise and compliance with special education regulations. She has also helped establish a Behavior Support Team to equip educators with targeted intervention strategies for students with diverse behavioral needs.
Litman is a dedicated member of MASE and serves on multiple committees, including the Legislative, Membership, and Communications Committees. She actively collaborates with regional and state leaders, advocating for sustainable policies and funding to support special education services. As part of a regional directors' group, she collaboratively authored and secured the Minnesota Special Education Teacher Pipeline Grant, which provided $2.1 million in funding to support the recruitment, training, and retention of future special education teachers—helping to address critical staffing shortages and enhance workforce development across multiple districts.
Beyond MASE, Litman’s leadership extends to various advisory and collaborative groups, including the MDE Inclusion Advisory Committee, SpEd Forms Advisory Committee, and multiple county collaboratives. She is passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and fostering partnerships that enhance the quality of special education services statewide.
Litman earned a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a Master of Arts degree in Education from Augsburg College. She holds a Bachelor of Business Management from the College of St. Scholastica. She is licensed as a Director of Special Education and in K-12 Emotional Behavioral Disorders and Learning Disabilities.
MASE is a professional association organized to promote programs and services to improve the education of children with disabilities, to foster high quality programs of professional development, and to study problems relating to serving children with disabilities and improving the leadership of administrators for special education. MASE members are administrators for special education in public or private schools, cooperative regional, state and other education administrative units, college and university professors of special education teacher or administrator preparation programs, and administrators, coordinators or consultants for the Minnesota Department of Education.
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