Branching Minds Recognizes 2026 MTSS Heroes for Transformative Student Support

New York, NY, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2026—Branching Minds, the leading Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) management platform for K-12 school districts nationwide, is thrilled to announce its 2026 MTSS Hero Award winners:

• Susan Weshinskey, School Social Worker, Wood River-Hartford ESD15, IL
• Todd Hartman, Principal, Lakota Local Schools, OH
• Robin Cansler, Interventionist, Beaumont ISD, TX

This year’s winners were selected from over 700 outstanding nominations across 185 school districts. The finalists exemplify best practices in MTSS; ensure each student receives the proactive, personalized support they need to thrive; and drive real, measurable improvement in K-12 outcomes.

"Reading through this year’s nominations was incredibly moving. Again and again, we saw educators across every role going above and beyond to ensure students receive the support they need to thrive while using Branching Minds to turn insight into action,” says Maya Gat, CEO and Co-Founder, Branching Minds. 

Meet the 2026 MTSS Hero Award Winners

Susan Weshinskey
School Social Worker, Wood River-Hartford ESD15, IL

“Susan has been an integral part of our school community. During Secondary Team meetings, Susan has encouraged the use of the tier movement reports to identify students who exhibit overall needs based upon internalizing and externalizing characteristics. She has collaborated on moving our CICO data into the Branching Minds platform to have all student tiered intervention data in one location and attended Branching Minds trainings for us to continually improve our process and use of the platform. Even when she is no longer working directly with the district students, she wants to make sure that student social emotional needs are always taken care of by our teachers and staff. Her influence will be her legacy, and our schools could use more people like Susan!”
-Nominated by Beth Bequette, District Administrator

Todd Hartman
School Administrator, Lakota Local Schools, OH
“Mr. Hartman is intentional with bringing teachers and staff to the table to review data to notice strengths and areas of needs for students and their own teaching practices. Our attendance has improved greatly, with most days at a 95% rate of attendance for our students. The "Our Story" program that Mr. Hartman brought to Creekside is a great reminder that not all learning outcomes are quantitative. Mr. Hartman is committed to the growth of the whole child and looking at all data - assessments, behavior reports, and daily interactions - to get the information needed to support and celebrate. Branching minds is critical to the work we do with staff and families. Mr. Hartman regularly uses Branching Minds in staff presentations, conversations and parent meetings. Mr. Hartman has an incredible drive to serve students and staff well, grow teams to be even better at our craft, and empower leaders across our building in students and staff so Creekside is the BEST place to be. He is truly an MTSS Hero!”
-Nominated by Jessica Skelton, School Administrator

Robin Cansler
Interventionist, Beaumont ISD, TX

“Robin Cansler took Branching Minds when our district first implemented it, trained our staff, worked with our staff to get Branching Minds up and running with fidelity. She continues to work with teachers to train them as needed and helps where needed so that all of our documents are turned in on time for the district. When we have questions about Branching Minds, we know to go to Mrs. Cansler. She knows the program like the back of her hand. She does this, plus keeps up with dyslexic students that she teaches, and she has 30 minutes of lunch duty each day. She is a dedicated hard worker who gets things done for our students. That is the core of her—she wants what is best for our students.”
-Nominated by Linda Fulton, School Administrator

The 2026 MTSS Hero Honorable Mentions

• Cathy Preciado
  Teacher, Compass Rose Public Schools, TX

• Sean Rabiola
  School Administrator, Norridge District 80, IL
  

• Sue Nadeau
  Math Coach, Kearsarge Regional School District, NH

• Alex Murnan
  Student Service Coordinator, Carolina Charter Academy, NC
  

• Tina Harmon
  District Administrator, Muskegon Heights Public Schools Academy, MI
  

• Zachary Santana
  Social Emotional Learning Coordinator,  West Springfield Public Schools, MA
  

• Sara Hall  
  Instructional Coach, Richardson ISD, TX

• Elise Solloway
  Interventionist, Timberlane Regional School District, NH

• Josie Giannini
  Interventionist, Norridge District 80, IL
  

• Beth Kirincich
  Interventionist, Kershaw County School District, SC

• Tracy Flood
  Director of Teaching & Learning, Ridgeland School District #122, IL
  

About the 2026 MTSS Hero Awards

Now in its third year, the MTSS Hero Awards spotlight educators leading MTSS implementation and making a tangible difference in their schools and districts.

To learn more about the 2026 MTSS Heroes and explore Branching Minds’ MTSS Hall of Fame, visit https://www.branchingminds.com/brm-hall-of-fame

About Branching Minds

Branching Minds partners with schools to help educators streamline differentiation and personalize learning through an MTSS system solution that simplifies best practices. For more information, visit www.branchingminds.com