Gill is the state director of special education for the state of Washington. During the past 30 years, he has been a special education teacher at the elementary and secondary school levels. He was also an instructor at Georgia Southern University and the University of Georgia. He received a bachelor of science in special education from Augusta College in Georgia, and his master of education from the University of Georgia in 1977 and was awarded his doctorate in educational leadership from Seattle University in 1988. He has been a consultant in 28 states and British Columbia during the past 26 years. He is the author of numerous articles and publications in the field of special education.

Prior to joining the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1990, Gill was director of the Pierce County, Wash., Cooperative, a nationally validated model that demonstrated improved post-school outcomes for special education students enrolled in vocational education programs. As a result of these efforts, he was the recipient of the 1988 American Vocational Association, Special Needs Division, Award for Exemplary Research.

During the time he has been state director of special education in Washington, he has been instrumental in analyzing and revising the state's funding formula for special education, as well as implementing a legislatively directed "safety-net," which provides supplemental funding when district costs for special education exceed available revenues. Gill has been on numerous state and national panels and was most recently a member of a national task force in conjunction with the American Institutes for Research, Center for Special Education Finance.

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