11/09/2020 09:38:42 AMAs a mother of a daughter with special needs, Shelley Townsend understands the importance of finding a supportive community and useful resources. She’s made helping families her life’s work. She serves as the director of Families CAN, a grant-funded program housed in the University of Houston College of Education that helps families of children with disabilities. “I develop a relationship with these families because I’m someone who has walked in their shoes,” Townsend said. Townsend will celebrate her 18th year at UH in April. She started as a family partner before eventually taking on the role of program director. A Houston native, she attended Booker T. Washington High School in the Houston Independent School District and went on to earn a bachelor’s in music from Prairie View A&M University and a master’s in social work from UH. Learn more about Townsend’s work and the impact of the pandemic in the Q&A below.