Derrick Gidden
Potsdam
Summary
Student success professional with extensive experience in disability support and case management. Expertise in guiding students from intake to resource connection, ensuring comprehensive support throughout educational journeys. As Assistant Director, focuses on operational planning and financial management, enhancing service quality and performance. Demonstrated success in coaching staff and implementing procedures to meet organizational objectives.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Assistant Director
SUNY Canton
Canton
03.2024 - Current
- Coordinate accommodation services for students with disabilities, including documentation review and plan creation.
- Serve as a liaison for students and families, offering assistance with accommodations, academic performance, and referrals.
- Managed a portfolio of assistive technologies, including screen readers and magnifiers, performing evaluations and providing user support to ensure effective access to digital curricula.
- Evaluate and select appropriate software and hardware for students' academic needs.
- Contribute to the development of assistive and academic technologies.
- Analyzed student usage data for assistive technologies to generate reports that informed institutional purchasing decisions and budget allocation for the Accessibility Services department.
- Performed accessibility audits on digital learning platforms against best practices and WCAG 2.1 guidelines to ensure compliance and improve user experience.
- Spearheaded the campus-wide initiative to adopt the new WCAG 2.2 standard, developing a strategic roadmap to ensure full compliance for all digital learning platforms ahead of the deadline.
- Provide guidance on electronic information technology accessibility.
- Drove student retention and program growth by serving as a key liaison for students and families, leading to high satisfaction and continued engagement with university services.
Accommodations Coordinator
Clarkson University
Potsdam
10.2021 - 03.2024
- Conduct intake meetings with students with learning disabilities, medical illnesses, and mental health conditions.
- Review psychological evaluations and other medical documentation pertaining to student ability/disability within the collegiate environment.
- Assign academic, housing, dietary, and other accommodations to students based on need.
- Collaborate with other departments to aid in student success.
- Established processes to streamline data collection.
- Created compelling, data-validated cases for process improvements by analyzing student success metrics, leading to the adoption of more streamlined data collection systems.
- Implemented and coordinated health services to meet disability standards.
Community Arts Program Manager
The Arc Jefferson
Canton
07.2018 - 10.2021
- Supervise staff who teach and/or coordinate workshops for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Supervise 3 Arts Instructors, 3 Consultants, Interns, and Community Volunteers.
- Provided opportunities for learning in areas of theatre, literature, music, dance, and visual arts.
- Supervise program budget and conduct research for additional funding sources.
- Oversee program development.
- Primary contact for any Arts Program communications working with families, guardians, Agency contacts, and community members.
- Managed public performances.
- Implemented strategic funding to reduce costs associated with program management by 30%.
Insurance Authorization and Verification
Canton-Potsdam Hospital
Potsdam
01.2017 - 07.2018
- Rectified discrepancies in patient insurance information to ensure accurate billing.
- Contributed innovative ideas and solutions to enhance team performance and outcomes.
- Worked successfully with diverse group of coworkers to accomplish goals and address issues related to our products and services.
- Verified patient demographic data before scheduled appointments to minimize delays.
- Coordinated with insurance companies to update patient status efficiently.
- Secured verification from insurance providers for seamless patient service.
- Acquired necessary authorizations for hospital admissions promptly.
- Delivered exceptional customer service by addressing patient needs effectively.
- Handled confidential patient information according to privacy standards.
Education
M.S.Ed - Curriculum And Instruction
State University of New York At Potsdam (SUNY)
Potsdam12.2023
B.A. - Theatre, Acting
State University of New York At Potsdam (SUNY)
Potsdam05.2013
Skills
- Staff management and training
- Accessibility auditing and compliance
- Student engagement strategies
- Project management
- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
- Leadership skills
- Attention to detail
- Program coordination
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Policy development and guidelines
- Data analysis and improvement
- Consulting services
- Assistive technology expertise
- Strategic planning and operations
- Coaching and mentoring
- Analytical thinking
- WCAG compliance
Professional Development
- Accommodating Disabilities Certificate- Self-Paced
- Learning Strategies and Neurodiversity Training- 20 Hours
- Managing ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Concussion in School- 9 Hours
- Grant Seeking- Self-Paced
- Proposal Writing- Self-Paced
Timeline
Assistant Director
SUNY Canton
03.2024 - Current
Accommodations Coordinator
Clarkson University
10.2021 - 03.2024
Community Arts Program Manager
The Arc Jefferson
07.2018 - 10.2021
Insurance Authorization and Verification
Canton-Potsdam Hospital
01.2017 - 07.2018
M.S.Ed - Curriculum And Instruction
State University of New York At Potsdam (SUNY)
B.A. - Theatre, Acting
State University of New York At Potsdam (SUNY)