Our Team
Our team serves public and charter schools throughout Arizona and Nevada.
Director of Program Development
Carl Grasso
Director
Carl is the Director of Education Support Services (ESS), founded in 2007. He holds degrees in business administration, psychology, school psychology and school administration. Prior to relocating from New York to Arizona in 2005, Carl held various positions in the field of alcoholism and drug addiction treatment. He was a Clinical Director, and Director of Education, Legal Services, and Admissions at Daytop Village, a multi-faceted long-term treatment organization in New York City. Later in his career, Carl held the positions of Clinical Director and Director of Public Relations for Conifer Park, the largest in-patient alcohol and drug treatment facility in the country.
Carl left the addiction treatment field in 1995 to pursue a Master of Science Degree at the College of St. Rose in Albany NY, and a degree in School Administration at Massachusetts College. Upon completing his studies, he was appointed as an Associate Professor for St. Rose and a Special Education Director for a New York school district.
In 2005, he moved to Arizona. There he was the Director of Substance Abuse Treatment for Arizona State Juvenile Corrections.
Carl is first and foremost a family man who enjoys spending time with his wife, adult children, and granddaughter. He enjoys traveling, woodworking, and art/airbrushing.
Education Support Services proudly serves over two dozen school districts and charter schools. ESS provides school psychology evaluations, counseling, neuropsychology evaluations, speech and language services, bilingual assessments, behavior assessments, school administration support and special education training.
Kimberly Gilbert
Director of Program Development
Mrs. Gilbert is the Director of Program Development at Education Support Services. Mrs. Gilbert’s career spans two decades in the public and private sectors, with experience in the United States and Kenya that ranges from teaching to administration at the early childhood, elementary, middle and college levels. Her expertise is in the design, development and implementation of inclusionary programs in educational settings. Mrs. Gilbert began her career as an educator on the East Coast where she worked as a New York State Certified Special Education Teacher. Her employment included teaching at a school designated as a “School to Watch,” which was recognized for excellent special education accomplishments and practices. While practicing in New York, Mrs. Gilbert was nominated for a Disney Teacher of the Year award. In Arizona, Mrs. Gilbert was a Special Education Lead Teacher, an Arizona State Turnaround Coach, and public and charter school Special Education Administrator.
In 2010, Mrs. Gilbert was recognized as one of Arizona’s first Master Instructional Coaches, designated through the Arizona K–12 Center. She has partnered with Arizona State University as a speaker for their College of Teacher Education and Leadership, and with the Board of Cooperative Education Services (New York) as a speaker for special education inclusion in math classes. Mrs. Gilbert has worked as an educational consultant throughout the United States. She has supported districts and schools with an evaluation of their academic priorities and designed alignment, assessment and professional development plans.
