Trina Fortner Wood, Ed.D.

Lecturer, Assistant Department Chair
Department of Special Education College of Education

678-839-6060
twood@westga.x5DmRckfXj6HCDONbfYv4Pedu

Education Annex - Room 222
Office Hours
Virtual Office Hours for Online Students Monday 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm or By Appointment. On Campus Days: TWR

Download curriculum vitae for Trina Fortner Wood, Ed.D. in PDF
Trina Fortner Wood, Ed.D.

Dr. Trina Wood is a Lecturer and Assistant Chair in the Department of Special Education in the College of Education. She graduated from the University of Alabama with a doctorate in educational and instructional leadership. Dr. Wood also holds advanced degrees in mild learning and behavior disorders. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses for pre-service and in-service special education teachers. 

Before moving into higher education, Dr. Wood served for twenty-five years in Alabama public education as a science teacher, special education teacher, assistant principal, director of special education, curriculum director, assistant superintendent, and interim superintendent.  After retiring from Alabama, Dr. Wood began a second career in Georgia and served five years as a career transition specialist, career and technical instructor coordinator, and director of special education while concurrently serving as an adjunct professor at UWG in the Department of Educational Leadership and Department of Literacy and Special Education. Dr. Wood has extensive experience as a proven educational leader. She has completed the Alabama Superintendents’ Academy, Alabama Community College Leadership Academy, Georgia School Superintendents Association District Office Professional Development Program, and Georgia Special Education and Leadership Development Program. She is an active member of the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association of Special Education Teachers, and the Council for Administrators of Special Education. 

Dr. Wood’s passion and areas of expertise include special educational leadership, curriculum design and instruction, collaboration/facilitation, mentorship, authentic experiential learning, and online pedagogy. She recently co-presented Developing Professional Knowledge and Skills Using Online Scenario-Based Simulations at the 2024 Teaching Colleges and Community Online Worldwide conference. Dr. Wood was awarded the College of Education’s 2024 Excellence in Online Teaching Award for her successful instructional and research strategies in online education.

  • B.S., Secondary Education - Biology, University of Alabama, 1990
  • M.A., Specific Learning Disabilities, University of Alabama, 1993
  • Ed.S., Mild Learning and Behavior Disorders, University of Alabama, 1995
  • M.A., Educational Leadership, University of Alabama Birmingham, 1996
  • Ed.S., Educational Leadership, University of Alabama, 1998
  • Ed.D., Instructional Leadership, University of Alabama, 2000

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Conference Proceedings/Peer Reviewed

Multiple AuthorsBaylen, D. M., Wood, T., Paul, I., Mormah, F., Mutelo, S. M., & **Gordon, A. (2023). Inquiry on technology use and practices during the  pandemic: Experiences and challenges from selected countries. In M. Simonson &  D. J. Seepersaud (Eds.), 45th Annual proceedings of selected research and development papers, Volume 1 (pp. 42-49). AECT.