Noëlla Bernal is the Associate Director and Internal Evaluator at CADRE. She has neary 13 years of experience delivering technical assistance on a national level to State Education Agencies, Lead Agencies, and federally-funded Parent Centers. Noella is passionate about CADRE’s continual improvement in providing accessible and culturally and linguistically competent products and services to its stakeholders.
Noëlla is responsible for project management and coordination, including the delivery of universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance activities. She manages CADRE’s data collection and evaluation efforts, and coordinates resource outreach efforts to State Education Agencies, Lead Agencies, Parent Centers and other interested individuals and organizations. Noëlla produces CADRE’s webinar series, manages the CADRE website and content, and, with CADRE staff, prepares presentations and trainings. She also serves as the Symposium Chair for CADRE’s national symposia on dispute resolution in special education. Noella co-leads CADRE's efforts in particiption with the cross-state DMS Topical Working Series Learning Collaborative, CADRE's Early Intervention Dispute Resolution Learning Community, and CADRE's Parent Center Dispute Resolution Learning Community.
Noëlla earned her Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies and Sociology from the University of Oregon, with top honors. She identifies as multiracial and multicultural, being of Mexican, Spanish and French descent. Noëlla was raised in a small rural town where her experience being other than the cultural majority inspired her toward a path of a social justice. Her passion for working at CADRE stems from her own experiences as a child, receiving speech language services and spending countless hours accompanying and observing her mother, a nurse, deliver home health services to people with disabilities and serve as a special education aide. From this experience, Noëlla developed a heart of service for helping others. Recently, Noëlla has gained experience advocating for close family members who receive early intervention services.
Outside of CADRE life, Noëlla enjoys breathing the fresh Oregon air while being active with her young son and husband. She actively volunteers at her son’s school and PTA, in environmental conservation, and in operating a nursing scholarship fund in memory of her late mother. Noëlla wishes her cat were a bit nicer to her.