RRTC’s Getzel wins higher education leadership award

Headshot of Elizabeth Evans Getzel of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.
Elizabeth Evans Getzel

The State of The Art Executive Committee has announced that Elizabeth Evans Getzel, director of the VCU RRTC on Employment of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities (Transition RRTC) and ACE-IT in College, has won the 2021 Institute of Higher Education Leadership Award for her outstanding work to further inclusive higher education opportunities. She will be recognized during the 2021 State of The Art Conference on November 9.

The annual award is given to an administrator, program director, faculty, or staff member within an institution of higher education who epitomizes leadership in the postsecondary education field. Getzel has extensive experience directing and conducting research and demonstration projects on supported education for college students with disabilities; transition of youth with disabilities to postsecondary education or employment; collaborative career planning for college students with disabilities; and postsecondary education supports for veterans with disabilities.

She also serves on several journal review boards as a member or reviewer, and has published widely on transition, career development, postsecondary education, and employment. She is the co-editor of the book: Going to College: Expanding Opportunities for People with Disabilities.

Transition RRTC and ACE-IT in College are part of the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, a center within the VCU School of Education. Transition RRTC generates evidence-based interventions to assist youth to enter competitive integrated employment. Six studies are being conducted to address a critical need for increased evidence-based research on practice and strategies for youth with disabilities, family members, school personnel, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and other stakeholders. ACE-IT in College is an inclusive higher education program that provides academic and career preparation opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities.