Donna Spencer

Donna is the senior member of our team and one of the founders of the Parent Liaison Program.  She has been serving the families of Sarasota County since 1989.  Her goal is for schools and families to solve their problems by working together as a team to improve educational outcomes.  Donna is the parent of a former Sarasota County Schools student with a severe learning disability.  She has the broad perspective of being directly involved from third grade to graduation with her own son in the special education system.  He is now a successful adult with his own businees.  Donna is also the grandparent of six children under the age of four.  Two of them are twins with special needs.  In addition,  Donna is a trained mediator and certified Kolbe Consultant.  She helps parents identify their children's strengths and shows them how their child can use those strengths to be more successful in school.


Susan Magers

Susan has been with the Parent Liaison Program since 2001.  Her passion for working with families of students with disabilities comes from her own experiences as the mother of a child with ADHD, learning disabilities and a language impairment as well as having a child with autism.  She is currently the Chair of the Exceptional Student Advisory Council (ESAC) and the Sarasota County Schools Family And Community Engagement Team (FACET).  Susan is a member of various state and county level groups including Partners In Transition, Inclusion Now!, and Sarasota County Community Alliance for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities.  She is also a graduate of Partners in Policymaking, a national advocacy training program, and has been on the Sarasota County School compliance review team for the past 2 years.  Prior to becoming a Parent Liaison, Susan worked for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University of South Florida (CARD-USF) as the Family-Community Partner for Sarasota County. 

Teresa Johnson

Dr. Teresa Johnson is the mother of three children who attend Sarasota County Schools.  Their ages range from eight to fifteen  and all are provided services under the auspices of Exceptional Student Education.   Their exceptionalities include autism, language impairment, gifted, and specific learning disabilities.  Retired from the practice of optometry, Dr. Johnson is devoted to assisting and supporting other parents of children with special needs in Sarasota County Schools.  She is  co-chair of the Exceptional Student Advisory Council (ESAC).

The Parent Liaisons can be reached by calling (941) 927-9000 x 34326.