Dr. McGinnis-Smith earned a PhD in special education with emphasis in EBD at the University of Iowa and an administrator certification from Drake University. She is coauthor of the social skills teaching series "Skillstreaming." She also coauthored with Richard Simpson "Skillstreaming Children and Youth with High Functioning Autism and Social Skills Success for Students with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism." Dr. McGinnis-Smith recently retired as the Mental Health and Dispute Resolution Consultant for the Iowa Department of Public Instruction. Throughout her career, Dr. McGinnis-Smith says her passion has been helping educators meet the needs of children and youth with mental health and behavioral concerns.