Meet Our Team
Gail M. Curran, MS, MBA, CEP
Therapeutic and Educational Placement Professional
President & CEO
Gail M. Curran, MS, MBA, is the principal independent educational & therapeutic placement consultant for Optimal Edu Options. She concentrates on the therapeutic and learning needs of children, teens, and young adults with behavioral, emotional, and learning differences, including those involved in the juvenile system.
Gail has over 40 years of experience working with residential and day treatment programs for students with special needs in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arizona, and throughout the United States. Her work in residential treatment centers ranged from direct care to executive-level management, giving her a different perspective on educational and therapeutic placements that best meet the families’ needs. She possesses comprehensive knowledge of finding the best options for children, struggling teens, and young adults in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, as well as all of Arizona and across the United States of America.
Gail has been working in the profession of educational and therapeutic placement consulting since 2012. She earned professional member status of the Independence Educational Consultants Association (IECA) in 2015, and in 2017 was honored with the distinguished certification from the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP). The certification sets the standard for professional educational advisors not only in knowledge and experience but also in ongoing professional development. There is no higher mark of distinction in the profession.
As part of her assessment process, she travels extensively across the country to evaluate boarding and therapeutic boarding schools, struggling-teen programs, young adult programs, and other treatment facilities. Gail has a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Family Studies, in which she wrote her thesis on attachment disorders in children who experience trauma, loss, and separation from biological caregivers. She also holds an MBA in Organizational Leadership.
She is a member and serves on the board of ATTACh (Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children).
Her colleagues describe her as passionate, committed, and determined to help youth, adolescents, and young adults.
Professional Memberships:
- Professional Member IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association)
Grace
Therapy Dog
Grace, our certified therapy dog (in training) is a fun-filled explosion of energy that our students and clients love to pet and play with. She especially loves to play catch and chase a ball, or just lay by your side or on your feet.