About Me:
Renay Zamloot is a professional Non-Attorney Education Advocate who has been assisting New Jersey parents in securing appropriate educational services for their children with disabilities since 1995.
As a leader in the field, Renay's expertise is sought by parents, attorneys, advocates, medical professionals, service providers, and agencies serving people with disabilities statewide. She participates in hundreds of meetings per year including: IEP Meetings, 504 Conferences, Parent Consultations and other related meetings. Her creative approach to problem solving, in conjunction with her extensive experience in working across disabilities, has resulted in the development of unique and truly Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for the students she serves. As the parent of young adults with disabilities, she also understands the process from a personal perspective.
Renay has been certified by the NJ Department of Human Services as a Surrogate Educational Parent since 2001. She has served as a SPAN Resource Parent since 2003 assisting and training a large number of parents each year on a volunteer basis. She is a 2006 graduate of the Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT) Project jointly developed by the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Southern California and the Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA). The SEAT Project consisted of 130 hours of intensive coursework and a 140-hour practicum supervised by an education attorney. Since her completion of the course, she has served as a practicum supervisor for the program. In 2012, Renay completed her CASA training and became a Court Appointed Special Advocate for neglected and abused children in NJ. Since her completion of the CASA training, she has assisted in editing CASA's recently developed Education Manual. She is also a trainer for TASH and has served on the organization's Human Rights Committee.
Renay is the recipient of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network's 2004 Parent-Professional Collaboration Award “for her deep commitment to parent-professional partnerships in securing services and supports for children and families in NJ.” She also received Army Community Service Awards in 2007 & 2008 for her “outstanding commitment to the Exceptional Family Member Program at Fort Dix demonstrating the highest ideals of community service.”
Renay conducts workshops and presentations on topics such as: Understanding the IEP Process, Advanced Advocacy Strategies, Effective Communication in the IEP Process, and Transition Planning for School Districts, Parent Groups, and other organizations throughout the state of NJ including: Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, Montclair State University, William Paterson University, Autism NJ, ASPEN, CHADD, SPAN, NJPTA, POAC and many others.
She is a member of the NJ Special Education Practitioners Group, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), TASH and the NJ Coalition for Special Education Funding Reform. She is on the Executive Board of the Special Education Leadership Council of NJ and is the founder of NJ Advocates In Action, an advocacy support group that has 700 members. She served on her local board of education during the 2011-2012 school year and sits on numerous committees and boards.
Renay regularly attends conferences, workshops and other training programs to remain current on legislative changes and trends in education. She is actively involved in numerous initiatives on the local, state and federal levels to support the rights of students with disabilities and their families.