Sharon Bergfeld

Sharon Bergfeld serves as a community research specialist for the SWTCIE Illinois project and the Illinois Institute for Rehabilitation and Employment Research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She is a retired special education teacher, focusing her work and career on vocational skill building and facilitating community-based work experiences for students receiving special education services. Sharon began her teaching career with the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative in Yorkville, IL, and later joined the Oswego Community Unit School District 308 in Oswego, IL. She also served as a DRS STEP program coordinator for the district. As a certified transition specialist, she worked to support students and their families as they engaged in the transition planning process and prepared for adult life. Most recently, she was a member of the Illinois Transition Study Group tasked with developing the School-to-Work Transition Guide, a statewide transition guide designed to assist students, parents, educators, administrators and service providers navigate the transition planning process. This guide was rolled out at the Illinois Statewide Transition Conference in November 2023.

Education

M.A., Educational Leadership, Aurora University, 2019
M.A., Special Education, LBS I, Aurora University, 2012
B.A., Psychology, Aurora University, 2010

Endorsements

Vocational Coordinator Endorsement, 2014
Certified Transition Specialist, LBS II, 2017
Principal Endorsement (Type 75), 2020