GROVE CITY — John Kassi, special education program supervisor, was presented with the 11th annual Leadership Award during the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV directors meeting in February.

Presented by Cecelia H. Yauger, unit executive director, this award was created by the IU's Labor-Management Committee to honor a person who promotes the role and vision of a regional service agency.

The intermediate unit is one of 29 in the state that works with school districts to provide specialized support services for students.

Kassi was honored for his work with the programs he supervises, including speech and language support, and physical therapy in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties.

The Dysphagia program developed and implemented by Kassi addresses the needs of more than 100 students with feeding and swallowing problems.

As a program supervisor, Kassi is responsible for students, staff and program development.

Kassi of Franklin started at the intermediate unit in 1997 as a speech pathologist at the Clarence Brown Education Center in Butler.