Catholic Schools Committee

Understanding the unique challenges faced by American Catholic schools, the NCPD Catholic Schools Committee aims to support these institutions in meaningfully including students with disabilities. The committee underscores the significance of providing such support not only for educational reasons but also as a fundamental aspect of Catholic identity, emphasizing the belief that each learner is unique and irreplaceable. The committee fills this purpose by:

advocating for the needs of learners with disabilities and the teachers and administrators who support them with national school organizations.
accompanying schools as they the shift to educating all learners by providing tools and resources so true belonging can occur.
supporting superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents with practical resources.

Maggie Hubbard, Ed.D., Chair

Maggie Hubbard is a seasoned educator with more than 30 years of experience as an elementary and middle school classroom teacher, assistant principal, and director of special education in the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. She served on the faculty of Notre Dame Maryland University and as assistant director for special education in the Academy of Catholic Educators, providing professional development and mentoring to Catholic school teachers in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Currently operating as an independent contractor, Dr. Hubbard remains steadfast in her commitment to the educational community, serving as an instructional coach and teacher mentor for Catholic schools in the greater Baltimore/Washington area, promoting inclusive practices and empowering educators to create a classroom environment where every student can access a rigorous curriculum and thrive as learners

Maggie is also a veteran professional developer and conference presenter at the national, regional, and local levels. She speaks on a variety of subjects including inclusion, differentiation, student engagement, curriculum accessibility, supportive classroom climates, and children with special learning needs.

Christina S. Arellano, Ed.D.

Christina Arellano, Ed.D., is an accomplished educator with a career in teaching, leadership, and student advocacy that spans over 25 years in the field of business and Catholic education. Her rich and varied career has seen her excel in roles ranging in corporate project management, to teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, professor, the founding director of the Microschools network for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and most recently the founding President of Pax Christi Academies under auspices of the Diocese of Orange.

Originally hailing from New Delhi, India, Dr. Arellano holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Delhi University, a master’s in business administration (MBA) from Maastricht School of Management in The Netherlands, and a master’s degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University. Driven by her Catholic faith, knowledge and professional influence, Dr. Arellano’s diverse background, coupled with her extensive experience in various educational roles, uniquely positions her as a leader in the field.

Diane Elliott

Diane Elliott is an assistant superintendent in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. She received her bachelor’s degree in special education and habilitative sciences from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree in vocational special education from Virginia Tech, and administrative certification from Virginia Commonwealth University. Diane taught special education in public schools in West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia for 17 years. While working for Spotsylvania County Public Schools in Virginia, Diane was the transition coordinator and a special education coordinator. She became the special services coordinator for the Diocese of Arlington in 2001. In that role Diane implemented coordinated procedures which have assisted the Catholic schools in accepting and educating students with disabilities. Diane became assistant superintendent, keeping the duties of helping the schools include students with disabilities, in 2017. Her favorite Bible verse: “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Abby Giroux

Abby Giroux, M.A., MS, is a Catholic school educator with more than 20 years of service. She began her career in education teaching middle school math and science. She then moved to a leadership position in a Catholic school in Michigan with a growing number of students with diverse academic needs. This prompted Abby to seek more education from the Program for Inclusive Education (PIE) at the University of Notre Dame in order to better serve and support her dedicated team of teachers and school community as they worked to welcome all learners. Abby loves supporting the mission of Catholic schools, and counts herself blessed to be able to partner with schools and educators seeking to better help all learners grow and discover God’s call.

Patricia Huizar, Ed.D.

Patricia Huizar is a Catholic School educator with more than 20 years. She serves as the Director of Student Services for the Diocese of Joliet. She is responsible for overseeing and advocating for learners who are emergent bilinguals and for students who have identified learning needs. She also leads the development of innovative programs to support these students and leads professional learning strategies for principals and teachers. Being bilingual, Paty expands the ability of the Catholic Schools Office to support more families. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2024 with a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

Paty’s love for God, education and serving others is inspiring. She is a passionate advocate for students and believes that Catholic education offers a complete spectrum of opportunities for the whole education of a person.

Colleen McCoy-Cejka, Ed.D., Board Liaison

Colleen McCoy-Cejka, Ed.D., is the owner of Inclusion Solutions, LLC and Ed-21 Solutions, companies dedicated to creating student-centered learning environments where all students can be successful. Colleen is the mother of a child with autism. Her work is built upon her experiences as a parent, teacher, elementary and high school principal, assistant superintendent, and curriculum director for the Diocese of Phoenix, and several nonprofit volunteer roles. Colleen co-founded The Matthew 19:14 Project with Dr. Lisa Fischer in Phoenix in 2014, is a founding member of the Arizona Inclusion Network (2021) and is an executive board committee member for the National Catholic Partnership on Disability.

Colleen previously served as Director of Professional Learning at the National Catholic Educational Association. She can be heard on the Loyola Press Podcast The Catholic Teachers’ Lounge three days per week.

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