Juli Taylor returns to US ED

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Juli L. Taylor, Ph.D., returned to the US Department of Education. In August 2025, she announced in a post on her LinkedIn account that she was once again working in the office of the director of the Office for Special Education Programs.

I am so so happy to share that, after 5 months on administrative leave, I have been reinstated in my position in OSEP’s Office of the Director. I am so excited to continue serving students with disabilities, their families, and their teachers in this role. If you’re attending our conference this week, be sure to say hi!

As of 8 August 2025, I did not find Juli Taylor in the organization charts of the US Department of Education. I also didn’t find her in a search of the ED Web site. Perhaps this is simply a consequence of the recency of her reinstatement. Perhaps it is the staffing issues in ED—no one had the time to update the site.

Thus, I can’t provide details of the nature of her appointment. I don’t know what her duties will be. Apparently, she was seen at the annual conference in early August 2025, a meeting that is sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs and attended by OSEP-funded project administrators.¹ Perhaps some Dear Readers who were attending can add content about her return.

Juli Taylor² has been engaged in special education since 2015. She took an undergraduate degree in special education from Webster University and a master’s degree from the same school. She taught in St. Louis local education agencies before completing doctoral studies in 2024 at the University of Kansas. Taylor had previously served as a special assistant in the office of the Director of Special Education Programs earlier in 2024.

UPDATE: Juli (@Jules) restacked a earlier version of this note indicating that “The rumors are true, I’m back at ED.”—JohnL

Footnote

1. Here is a link to an announcement of that conference for 2025

2. Please do not confuse Juli L. Taylor, Ph.D., with Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., who is professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.