Specialist Bios Contact Us
John Barrowman originally came from a small town in the Californian foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. He moved to Oregon to attend college at the University of Oregon where he completed his bachelors degree in psychology and a minor in special education in 2009. It was during his bachelors that he was inspired by a guest lecturer to enroll in a program called Project PASS (Preparing Autism Specialists for Schools). He completed Project PASS in 2010 and completed a licensure program for early childhood special education/early intervention and his masters in 2011. After completing school, John moved to Alaska and remained in the Northwest Arctic region working in schools as an intensive needs special education teacher and traveled to support students in the outlying villages for four years. John has been with SESA since 2015 and enjoys being able to bring services to where they are needed. He enjoys fishing, hiking, and cooking.
Alison moved to Anchorage in July of 2022 from Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas and received her degree in Linguistics. Following this, Alison worked in Finland and Australia as an Au Pair before moving to Massachusetts where she began working in a residential school for children on the Autism Spectrum. While in Massachusetts she received her Master’s of Education with a Designation in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Simmons University in 2019. Alison then returned to Kansas where she spent 3 years working in a middle school Special Education classroom. In her free time Alison likes to read, spend time with her dog, and watch Kansas basketball.
Shane Phillips grew up in Michigan, attended university in Illinois, and moved to Alaska in 2018. Shane attended Southern Illinois University and earned a B.S. in Special Education. During his time at SIU, Shane was the President of the Student Council for Exceptional Children and participated in events that advocated for individuals with disabilities. After earning his degree, Shane taught for two years in Southeast Alaska. In his free time Shane enjoys hiking, hockey, rock climbing, and being outside. Shane enjoys being able to work with teams all around the great state of Alaska.
Brian joined SESA in 2018. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. He received his Master’s of Education degree in Special Education from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Before teaching, Brian worked in the field of community mental health, where he supported children with severe emotional disabilities. He worked in the Anchorage School District for ten years before becoming an Education Specialist at SESA. Brian’s primary goal at SESA is maximizing student independence. In his free time he, Brian enjoys fishing, hunting and ice hockey.