NCD Members and Staff

National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004

202-272-2004 General Information
202-272-2074 TTY
202-272-2022 Facsimile

Note: Please direct correspondence for NCD members to the National Council on Disability address listed above.

Members

Chairman Jonathan M.Young, Ph.D., of Bethesda, Maryland, is Senior Counsel at FoxKiser-a firm specializing in strategic collaboration and counseling in law, science, and medicine-and co-founder and Vice Chair of the Committee on Disability Power & Pride. Dr. Young previously served in the Executive Office of the President as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. As Project Director for the NRH Center for Health and Disability Research, he authored NCD's 1997 publication, Equality of Opportunity: The Making of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which subsequently became the foundation for his doctoral dissertation on the disability rights movement. Dr. Young is partially paralyzed from a spinal cord injury.

Dr. Fernando M.Torres-Gil, Ph.D., of Los Angeles, California, is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the UCLA School of Public Affairs. Previously he served as a Professor of Gerontology and Public Administration at the University of Southern California, where he is still an Adjunct Professor of Gerontology. Before serving in academia, Dr. Torres-Gil was the first Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as the Staff Director of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging. Dr. Torres-Gil also served as President of the American Society on Aging from 1989 to 1992. He is currently a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Polio Survivors, the National Academy of Social Insurance and of the board of directors of Elderhostel, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the AARP Foundation, the Los Angeles Airport Commission, and The California Endowment. Professor Torres-Gil is a polio survivor.

Linda Wetters, Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Wetters is a former assistant executive director of the State of Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, where she assists in the administration of the state agency designated to provide vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities.

Gary Blumenthal, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, is the President and CEO for the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP), which aims to promote and ensure the health of the community-based organizations that provide supports and services for individuals with developmental disabilities. He also served as the Executive Director for the Alta California Regional Center, which oversees service delivery for children and adults with developmental disabilities in the Sacramento region. Previously, Mr. Blumenthal was the Wichita Regional Director for the Kansas State Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, CEO for the Florida State Protection and Advocacy Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities, and Director of the President's Committee on Mental Retardation during the Clinton administration. Mr. Blumenthal was also a member of the Kansas State House of Representatives for 11 years. He was an American Government teacher in the Shawnee Mission Public Schools in Overland Park, Kansas for 12 years. Mr. Blumenthal a graduate of the University of Kansas, Lawrence and the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

Victoria Ray Carlson, Naperville, Illinois. Ms. Carlson is a homemaker with three young girls. She was the executive director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Iowa Chapter. She has worked at the U.S. Departments of Energy and Housing and Urban Development and for Senator Robert Dole in the Republican Leader's Office. In addition, Ms. Carlson was the Iowa Organization Coordinator for Branstad for Governor and worked in the Iowa House of Representatives. Ms. Carlson was also a member of the Iowa Persons with Disabilities Commission.

Chester A. Finn, of Albany, New York, is a Special Assistant with the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD), providing services, supports, and advocacy to individuals with development disabilities and their families; in October 2009 he was appointed to the OMRDD's Leadership Team. He is also President of the national board of Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered, Board Advisor to the Self Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS), and a member of the Justice for All Action Networking Streaming Committee. Mr. Finn is also an active member of the Board of Directors for the ARC of the United States, the world's largest community based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mr. Finn is blind and a person with a developmental disability and is committed to fighting for the civil rights of all people with disabilities.

Sara Gelser, of Corvalis, Oregon, currently serves as State Representative for the citizens of Corvallis and Philomath in the Oregon State House of Representatives. The youngest woman in the Oregon State Legislature, she also serves as Assistant Majority Leader and chairs the House Education Committee. Previously Ms. Gelser served as the Children with Disabilities and Family Support Coordinator for the Oregon State Department of Human Services. Additionally, she served as a regional coordinator for the Oregon Parent Training and Information Center, where she provided training to parents, educators and administrators about the implementation of special education law. Ms. Gelser is the founder of the FG Syndrome Family Alliance, a non-profit organization serving families and medical professionals dealing with FG Syndrome, a rare developmental disability. Ms. Gelser and her husband Peter have three daughters, Ellie, Nicole, and Maia, and they have a teenaged son, Sam, who has FG Syndrome.

Marylyn Howe, Marshfield Hills, MA. Ms. Howe is currently the director of public policy at the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. She was formerly the executive director of the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Partnership at Children's Hospital in Boston, where she advocated strongly for people with disabilities to become empowered and independent through technology. She is a former Board Member of the National Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP) and a former President and one of several co-founders of the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA).

Heather Whitestone McCallum, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Ms. McCallum was selected as Miss America in 1995, the first woman with a disability to be crowned Miss America in the pageant's 75-year history. Ms. McCallum also spearheaded the nation's largest multimedia public service campaign to identify early hearing loss, which was created by the Miss America Organization and the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the deaf. The former Miss Alabama grew up in Atlanta.

Lonnie C. Moore, Chula Vista, California. Mr. Moore currently serves as a Program Analyst for the Army Warrior Transition Office, where he writes policy and makes recommendations to improve care and transition for wounded and ill soldiers. He also serves as the Western Chair for the Secretary of Veteran's Affairs Service Members and Families Council. Mr. Moore was combat-wounded in Iraq, where he led more than 60 combat missions.

Ari Ne'eman of Catonsville, Maryland, is the Founding President of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, where he initiates and directs efforts to increase the representation of autistic individuals in public policy discussions. He is a leading advocate in the neurodiversity movement, frequently briefing policymakers and speaking publicly on disability and autism policy issues. Mr. Ne'eman served as Vice Chair of the New Jersey Adults with Autism Task Force, where he represented autistic adults in reviewing the state's autism services. He also previously served on the New Jersey's Special Education Review Commission, where he authored a minority report on the topic of aversives, restraint and seclusion. Mr. Ne'eman previously served as the Policy Workgroup Leader for the NCD Youth Advisory Council. He is a board member of TASH and a public member of the Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee. In 2010, he was named one of New York Jewish Week's 36 under 36 and in 2009 received the Expanding Horizons Award from United Cerebral Palsy. Mr. Ne'eman graduated from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in 2010 with a B.A. in Political Science. In 2000, Mr. Ne'eman was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder.

Dongwoo Joseph "Joe" Pak, MBA, of Garden Grove, California, is Vice President and Loan Officer of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach, CA. Mr. Pak also worked as the Director of External Affairs for SBC/Pacific Bell, representing the company to city officials and state legislators as well as to community and business leaders. He is currently a board member of Acacia Adult Day Health Care Services. Mr. Pak has served on the Special Needs Advisory Board for the Orange County Transit Authority and on the California State Rehabilitation Council, where he focused on increasing the low rate of employment among people with disabilities. He is also a former Board Member and Program Chair for the Korean Health Education, Information, and Research Center. Mr. Pak earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. At three years of age, Mr. Pak's left arm was paralyzed by polio.

Carol Jean Reynolds, of Evergreen, Colorado, is the Executive Director of the Disability Center for Independent Living (DCIL) in Denver, Colorado. DCIL is a grassroots service and advocacy organization that assists over 700 consumers each year, providing four core services to individuals with both physical and mental disabilities: peer counseling, independent living skills training, advocacy, and information and referrals. Ms. Reynolds is a Member of the governing board of the National Council on Independent Living and serves as Co-Chairperson of its Mental Health Task Force. She was awarded Board Member and Consumer of the Year by the National Association of the Mentally Ill - Colorado. She is also a member of the Colorado State Rehabilitation Employment Council. Ms. Reynolds speaks publicly on mental health issues, including providing testimony to the Colorado State legislature in connection with legislation providing funding to uninsured individuals with mental health issues. Ms. Reynolds has struggled with and overcome several mental health and substance abuse issues and has been in recovery for 26 years.

Staff

Joan M. Durocher is NCD's Executive Director (Interim). She joined the staff in January 2002. For the last several years, she has been an NCD Senior Attorney Advisor. She will resume that role in September.

Martin Gould, Ed.D. is NCD's director of research and technology. He joined the NCD staff in January 2000.

Mark S. Quigley is NCD's director of communications. He joined the NCD staff in May 1990.

Stacey S. Brown is NCD's staff assistant. He also conducts the administrative aspects of agency meetings and teleconferences. His prior experience includes working as a receptionist and clerk with the Board for International Broadcasting.

Julie Carroll is an NCD senior attorney advisor. She was the director of Government and Industry Relations, Information Technology Technical Assistance Training Center, Law, Health Policy and Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law. Previously, she worked as an advocacy attorney at the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Lisa Grubb is NCD's coordinator of administration. Prior to joining NCD, Ms. Grubb was a key participant in Virginia's efforts to implement changes in state policies for people with disabilities. Ms. Grubb has represented Virginia nationally in her role as executive director to Virginia's Statewide Independent Living Council. Prior to her career in advancing disability rights, Ms. Grubb was instrumental in creating and implementing Individual Development Accounts in Tennessee.

Geraldine-Drake Hawkins, Ph.D, Senior Program Analyst, tribal consultant coordinator, youth & diversity supporter also serves on advisory groups for Magellan Behavioral Health Services, and DBTAC’s Mid-Atlantic ADA Center.

Carla Nelson is NCD's administrative specialist. Prior to her work at NCD, Ms. Nelson was an executive secretary at the U.S. Postal Service.

Anne C. Sommers joined the NCD staff as its legislative affairs specialist in November 2008. She comes to NCD after serving for two years as policy counsel to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Prior to joining AAPD full-time, Sommers did consultant work for AAPD on a disability rights project for the national American Civil Liberties Union.