Meridith Pettigrew serves as Executive Director of Autism Community Training, bringing more than 25 years of experience in special education, behavioral support, program development, and leadership in services for individuals with disabilities.
An educator at heart, Meridith has built her career around a simple belief: people should be understood as individuals—not defined by a diagnosis, a behavior, or assumptions about what they can do. Her experience spans classroom teaching, behavior intervention and consultation, residential autism programming, and school administration.
Meridith holds a Master’s degree in Education and is a builder and connector by nature. She has a passion for developing programs, supporting staff, creating meaningful opportunities, and building community partnerships that open new doors for the people she serves.
Today, that perspective guides her leadership at ACT. Meridith is leading the organization beyond traditional vocational training toward a broader approach to adulthood—one that emphasizes communication, daily living skills, community experiences, meaningful work and service, leisure, wellness, and continued growth.
A Vision for ACT
Meridith believes adulthood should remain a time of learning, exploration, contribution, and possibility.
Her vision is for ACT to be a leading resource in Middle Tennessee for adults with autism and their families—a place where individualized support does not end when school services do, and where adults with greater support needs are known, challenged, and given meaningful opportunities to continue learning and growing.
At the heart of her leadership is a question that continues to shape ACT’s future:
“What is possible, and how do we get there?”