Auburn University Honors McKendree Special Education Professor
Alumna Karee Orellana is Named 2015 Outstanding Educator
(LEBANON, Ill., April 8, 2015) — A McKendree University professor and advocate for
students with disabilities has received the 2015 Outstanding Educator Alumni Award
from the Auburn University College of Education. Dr. Karee Orellana, a Shiloh resident
and a 1997 Auburn graduate, is assistant professor of special education and coordinator
of special education at McKendree University, where she has taught since 2011.
The honor recognizes College of Education alumni who have demonstrated a commitment
to education and excelled in their profession. It was presented on April 1 at an annual
awards ceremony in Auburn, Ala.
Orellana’s professional areas of interest include students with autism and intellectual
disabilities; positive behavior supports for students with low-incidence disabilities;
and teacher education in online formats. She has over 17 years of K-12 public school
special education and university teaching experience. For four years she taught at
Middle Tennessee State University in the special education program and created an
online program for students pursuing an endorsement in gifted education.
She graduated from Auburn in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in special education and
went on to earn a master’s degree in special education from Middle Tennessee State
University in 2003. She received a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with a
concentration in special education from Tennessee State University in 2010.