Marilyn Friend, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Education in the Department of Specialized Education Services at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she served as department chairperson. She has spent her career as a general education and special education teacher (in Virginia and Indiana), researcher, professor, administrator, teacher educator (in Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, and North Carolina), and staff developer. Dr. Friend is a Fulbright scholar and a Past President of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). She currently resides in Washington, D.C. Dr. Friend has consulted with school professionals nationally and internationally (more than 3,500 presentations and projects in the United States, Canada, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia) as they collaborate to (a) educate diverse groups of students through co-teaching, and (b) form productive and efficient work teams, and (c) foster inclusive practices for students with disabilities. She is the author or co-author of three widely used college textbooks on special education topics; two books on co-teaching; a variety of co-teaching materials for teachers and administrators; more than 70 articles and chapters about collaboration, inclusion, and co-teaching; and a popular video series on co-teaching, effective instruction, and other inclusive practices. Her books have been translated into Danish, Mandarin, Italian, Portuguese, French, and Japanese. Dr. Friend’s contributions were recognized when she was the 2016 recipient of the CEC Teacher Education Division/Pearson Excellence in Special Education Teacher Education Award. She was also named a 2019 recipient of the Indiana University School of Education Distinguished Alumni Award.
