Mary Grace Hyland of Oakton earned a master's degree in education from James Madison University, with a concentration in Special Education. She also has undergraduate degrees from JMU in education and sociology. In June, Hyland accepted a position at the University of Minnesota as a disability specialist in the Office of Disability Services, which is within the University of Minnesota’s Office of Equity and Diversity. At JMU, Hyland received five separate academic scholarships for her work with students with disabilities, including those with autism-spectrum disorders and traumatic brain injury. She was president of the JMU Chapter of Council for Exceptional Children and had experience over a four-year period working each summer for Fairfax County in its ground-breaking program for young adults with autism-spectrum disorders and other disabilities. Hyland will begin at the University of Minnesota in fall 2009. She is a graduate of James Madison High School in Vienna.