Meet The Team Behind The Scenes
Her mission with Coffee and Kids with Catherine is to provide resources and support to families navigating parenting, disabilities, education, and beyond, empowering them to create positive change in their children’s lives.
To learn more about Catherine's journey and the inspiration behind her work, visit our Coffee and Kids with Catherine Michael, J.D. Blog
Catherine Michael, J.D.
Catherine Michael, J.D., is the Founder of Coffee and Kids with Catherine, LLC, and a passionate education attorney with over two decades of experience advocating for children and families. With extensive knowledge in parenting, disabilities, and education, Catherine has spent her career working alongside parents, educators, behavior therapists, and psychologists to create strategies that foster academic success and personal growth for children with special needs.
A respected advocate and recognized speaker, Catherine has been featured across national and local media outlets, including the Montel Williams Show, Sterling on Sundays, Forbes Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Tilt Parenting Podcast, and news stations such as ABC, CBS, and NBC. Her dedication to families and children has earned her recognition in the field.
Throughout her career, Catherine has contributed to state and federal cases, helped develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 plans, Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), and Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs), and supported parents in navigating educational services for their children.
Catherine also trains parent advocates, teachers, and educators on special education matters and has taught Education Law as an Adjunct Professor for over a decade.
Lyndsey Gillespie, BA
Lyndsey Gillespie is a trained parent advocate, a dedicated mom of exceptional kids, and the daughter of a former school superintendent. With a deep-rooted background in education and advocacy, Lyndsey grew up immersed in the world of education reform. After tirelessly advocating for her own children, she realized her true calling: to support and empower other parents in navigating the educational system and securing the services their children need.
As a parent trainer and advocacy specialist, Lyndsey brings her wealth of experience and personal insight to the table, helping families and parents advocate effectively for their children's success. Lyndsey plays a pivotal role in leading many of our classes, offering valuable expertise to ensure that families are equipped with the knowledge and tools to advocate for their children in a meaningful way.
Her mission is to make sure that every child, regardless of their needs, has the opportunity to thrive in an education system that supports their unique journey.
The case involving her own child, Howey v. Tippecanoe School Corporation, 734 F.Supp. 1485 (1990) has been cited by administrative decisions in Michigan, Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana and Northern District of Indiana, the U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky, the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, and the 5th and 8th Circuit Courts.
Pat was a founding member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) and a Director on its first Board. She has made numerous presentations at its annual conferences.
Pat was a founding member and President of Tippecanoe Parents and Professionals for Special Education (TPPSE) and its public relations Chair. She was to Tippecanoe County Commissioners to be on the County’s first Human Rights Commission.
Pat's extensive experience and unwavering commitment to advocating for children with special needs make her an invaluable member of our team, and her guidance continues to empower parents and advocates across the country.
Pat Howey, BA, Advocate
Pat Howey has dedicated nearly 30 years to advocating for parents and children in the realm of special education.
As the author of Special Education: Plain and Simple, Pat has crafted a comprehensive guide to help parents, attorneys, advocates, and educators navigate the complexities of special education. Her upcoming second book, Special Education: The Commentary, Plain and Simple, will further deepen her invaluable expertise in the field. Both of her books are available on Amazon as paperbacks and e-books.
With almost 40 years of experience, Pat has supported countless families by guiding them through IEP meetings, filing complaints, and representing children in due process hearings and before the Board of Special Education Appeals.
One of the pivotal cases in her career, Howey v. Tippecanoe School Corporation (1990), has been cited by legal authorities in multiple states and U.S. District Courts, cementing her influence in the field.
Dr. Lynn Keegan, Ph.D.
Dr. Lynn Keegan is a dedicated parent trainer, leader, and patient advocate with a lifelong commitment to helping children with health, mental health, and nursing needs thrive in educational environments. As a founding member of the American Holistic Nurses Association, Dr. Keegan has become a trusted figure in guiding families through the complexities of healthcare plans and educational support for children with special needs.
Her career embodies the core values of advocacy, leadership, and mentorship, focusing on equipping parents and advocates with the skills to navigate healthcare, mental health, and nursing challenges in the school system.
Dr. Keegan holds a BSN from Cornell University, an MSN from Loma Linda University, and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. She has served as a nursing professor at several academic institutions and has received multiple accolades, including being named a Distinguished Alumnus at Cornell University and an American Academy of Nursing Fellow (FAAN).
Her impactful contributions to nursing and education have earned her five American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards.
Dr. Keegan's expertise and dedication to empowering parents and supporting children make her an invaluable resource for families navigating the intersection of health, education, and advocacy.
Megan Corcoran, LCSW – Therapist
Megan Corcoran, LCSW, has spent over a decade working with children, adults, and families, helping them navigate challenges and build supportive strategies. She has attended countless IEP meetings and has extensive experience developing individualized plans for children.
In her private practice, Megan works with a wide range of needs, including ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, anger management, parenting support, and life transitions. She now joins us regularly to share her knowledge, offering insights and guidance to help families thrive.
Alexandra Michael, Health Advocate
Alexandra Michael is a registered nurse. With her deep passion for children's health, she plays a key role in developing health resources, healthcare advocacy, and health and crisis plans for students with healthcare needs.
In addition, Alexandra contributes to the creation of nursing plans, parenting teens courses, and social media strategies to ensure parents have the tools and information they need. She is also instrumental in keeping parents informed through our newsletter.
Her background in nursing and her commitment to improving children's health and well-being make her an essential part of our team, dedicated to supporting families in managing their child's healthcare needs and fostering a healthy, well-informed environment for children and parents alike.
Our Friends and Experts
Throughout the years, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with a diverse group of professionals, including psychologists, physicians, psychiatrists, developmental pediatricians, behavior specialists, therapists, parents, special education directors, and teachers.
To further enrich your learning experience, we regularly invite top education and medical experts to contribute to our masterclasses and seminars. Their expertise helps us provide you with the latest, most reliable information to support you and your child on your journey.
Why we are here.
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Dream it.
It all begins with an idea. Catherine Michael, J.D. had been presenting for parent groups and clients for nearly twenty years. She would regularly invite parents to come to bring a coffee to a library, conference room, a gym, or meet at a parent’s home to provide information on special education law, designing educational goals, what services and resources were available. Catherine’s hourly rate was over $300 an hour and she wanted to find a way to to get information out to parents without them having to retain an attorney.
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Build it.
Parent and disability advocate referred to Catherine’s parent sessions when inviting foster parents trying to advocate for their children to come to “Coffee and Kids with Catherine, J.D.” and the name was born. Another advocate began to help me organize more formal coffee gatherings with Catherine and it became a regular weekly activity for parents, parent advocates, mental health providers, and those wanting to learn to advocate for kids. We began to offer paid intensive courses for parents, advocates and attorneys. Those courses sold out and often were too costly for many parents.
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Grow it.
Many parents came to our regular coffee meetings because they didn’t necessarily want to pay for attorneys or even advocates to attend IEPs and they wanted help learning to navigate the world of special education, other parents wanted to gain the skills to be a strong and knowledgeable advocate on their own, and sometimes they even wanted to take the next step and become an advocate for other. In 2020 Coffee and Kids with Catherine, LLC took to the virtual coffee house with clients and friends joining for intensives as well as some regular Saturday mornings classes. We realized we didn’t only want to offer seminars and intensives or the occasional coffee and decided we wanted an affordable subscription and online masterclasses could bring information directly to empower parents everywhere.
Now we want you to grow with us.
“Knowledge is the first step to confidence. Confidence in what we know, what we want, and what we need so that we can ask for it. And get it. ”
— Catherine M. Michael, J.D.
Why we want to make the world a bit better, easier and more fun.
We are not born knowing how to negotiate, strategize, parent, teach or run an advocacy business. We don’t learn the laws governing education simply by hearing about them every once and while. We don’t simply know the best way to deal with behavior with a child with autism by simply having a child. Life takes learning. And it takes knowing how to apply that learning.
We are a group of people who want to make the world a little bit better, a little bit easier, and of course we want to add some humor and fun. Whether you are an exceptional parent, or a teacher with a love of children who wants to better understand learning disabilities, advocacy, and law, or an advocate, who wants to start a business, we are here to help. We promise to do our best to make it fun.