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TranslationsBoard Member Biographies
Everlene Brewer
Everlene Brewer’s biography is coming soon.
Position: Person Residing in an Institution
Nancy Briggs
Nancy B. Briggs earned her Master in Education degree from Virginia State University and her Education Specialist degree from the University of Virginia. She has taught in public schools at the university and secondary levels and has overseen the certification of more than 300 instructors per year while working with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, VA. Nancy has served in a variety of roles on public and nonprofit boards. Her youngest daughter, who has cerebral palsy, lives with Nancy in Chester, VA.
Position: Parent/Guardian of a person with a developmental disability
Linda G. Broady-Myers
Linda G. Broady-Myers earned her Master in Criminal Justice degree from Old Dominion University. She has a background in human resources, financial fraud, and human services advocacy. Linda serves on multiple boards and commissions at local and state levels, including the Virginia Fair Housing Board and the Greater Richmond Transit Company. She is an active community service volunteer.
Position: Transit Representative
Brian Clukey
Brian Clukey is the Library Page at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Fall Church, Virginia. He has over 15 years experience in various clerical positions from New York to Washington DC. Brian is a graduate of Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale Virginia, and has many interests. He has been a member of the Board of the American Association on Intellectual Disabilities and the Arc of Northern Virginia, President of People First of Northern Virginia, Member of the President’s Committee on Intellectual Disabilities, and the Northern Virginia Representative for the White House Celebration of the American with Disabilities Act.
Position: Person with a developmental disability
Margaret Disney
Margaret (Maggie) Disney has been an active advocate for people with disabilities for more than 30 years, working with the Virginia Society for Human Life as an office manager. She is the caregiver of her 32-year-old daughter who has had disabilities since birth. Maggie lives in the city of Richmond, is involved in church and community affairs, and has served on the Area 6 Special Olympics Council as events manager for a over a dozen years. She also serves as a ski coach for Chesterfield County Special Olympics.
Position: Parent /Guardian of person with a developmental disability
Norma Draper
Norma Draper is a graduate of the Board’s Partners in Policymaking program and has been an advocate for people with disabilities for more than two decades. In addition to her extensive volunteer service (Hopewell Prince George Civitan, the ARC South of the James and the state ARC of Virginia) Norma is the caregiver of her 27 year old grandson who has significant disabilities. As the Local Network Coordinator for Southside Virginia and at the Fort Lee for the Center for Family Involvement at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University, Norma works with numerous groups such as Parent to Parent of Virginia and the Central Virginia Care Connection for Children. Norma is a Consumer Directed Services Facilitator for the Intellectual Disabilities and the EDCD waivers, a member of the State Employment Leadership Network (SELN), and has served on the Tuckahoe Local Human Rights Committee (2007 – 2012).
Position: Parent/Guardian of a person with a developmental disability
Sharon Drescher
Sharon Drescher is the Volunteer Development Administrator for CARITAS, a Richmond based non-profit that serves the homeless community. She holds board positions with the Spinal Cord Injury Association of Virginia and Samaritan’s Walk, a spinal recovery center located in Ashland, VA. Sharon’s son, Robbie, sustained a spinal cord injury in December 2009 at the age of 14; he maintains his active lifestyle by playing wheelchair basketball and lacrosse through adaptive sports in Richmond.
Position: Immediate relative/guardian of adperson with developmental disability
John Eisenberg
John Eisenberg is the Assistant Superintendent of the Division of Special Education and Student Services for the Virginia Department of Education. He brings almost two decades of experience, ranging from a classroom special education teacher to project director leadership at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University. John also has extensive experience with assistive technology and working with individuals with intellectual disabilities and severe disabilities.
Position: Agency Designee
Dennis Findley
Dennis Findley, AIA is a resident of McLean, Virginia and is the father of a 17 year-old son with multiple intellectual disabilities. Dennis is an architect and received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Auburn University and earned his master’s degree in architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. In 1995, Dennis made what would be a life-changing decision to stop his architectural practice for three years to be a stay-at-home father for his then newborn twin boys. Within a few months his plan took a different course when one of his sons was diagnosed with significant developmental delays. The three-year hiatus from architecture became an 11-year odyssey of doctors, tests, therapy, special schools and insurance claims and advocating on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for the interests of special-needs children in 2005. He resumed his architectural practice in 2006 and is an Associate and Senior Project Architect with Bowie Gridley Architects in Washington, D.C.
Position: Parent/Guardian of a person with a developmental disability
Donna Gilles
Donna Gilles is the Executive Director of the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from John Hopkins University in 1986, majoring in severe and profound disabilities. Donna’s history working in disability policy and extensive speaking and presentation experience lend themselves to her role as the executive for Virginia’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). She was previously with the Florida UCEDD, has been active in many state taskforces, organizations and committees and is a lifetime member (since 1978) of TASH.
Position: UCEDD Representative
Ray Hopkins
Raymond “Ray” Hopkins was appointed as Commissioner of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) in 2008 and was reappointed in 2010 by Governor McDonnell. From 2004-2008, Ray was employed by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration where he oversaw the Randolph-Sheppard Vending Facility Program, an entrepreneurial program serving persons who are blind. During his tenure, this program included nearly $700,000,000 in annual sales and 3,100 businesses located on federal and other property which were operated by approximately 2,600 licensed managers who are blind. He also served as the Administrator of the Division of Visual Services, Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services for 10 years. A native Oklahoman, Ray has an undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s in Rehabilitation of the Blind from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has served on the Board of Directors of several professional organizations including the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB), the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals (ACVREP), the Oklahoma Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Vision Impaired and the Blind Entrepreneurs Alliance.
Position: Agency Head
John Kelly
John Kelly, of Woodbridge, Virginia, is the Director of Government Affairs at NISH, a national nonprofit agency whose mission is to find employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities through the federal AbilityOne Program. He has a strong background in government affairs, grassroots advocacy, self-advocacy, and is a graduate of the Board’s Partners in Policymaking program. John served for 7 years on the Prince William County Special Education Advisory Committee (including two terms as Chair). He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and is the father of two sons with autism. John currently serves as Board Chair.
Position: Immediate relative/guardian of person with mental impairing developmental disability
Stephen Joseph
Stephen Joseph’s biography is coming soon.
Position: Person with Developmental Disability
Ronald King
Ronald (Ron) King currently serves as the Director of Family Services in the city of Manassas, Virginia, where he directs the agency’s policies, budget, public relations, and staff. Ron has years of experience working with social services and foster care programs in Warren, Caroline, and Prince William counties plus the city of Alexandria. His work with the City of Alexandria as Director of the Office of Employment training led to several employment training programs for youth, adults, and refugees. Ron is active on many boards and committees in his community, including the Linden Rotary Club.
Position: Local Government Agency Representative
Ronald L. Lanier
Ron Lanier is as Director of the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH). He was first appointed to this position in April 1997. Ron has served as Adjunct faculty at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC) and Virginia Union University where he taught American Sign Language. Prior to his current position, he was Manager of the Technology Assistance Program at VDDHH, a Job Placement Counselor for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at the Department of Rehabilitative Services, and a Social Worker in Richmond city. Ron received his B.S. in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Ron is a member of the Challenge Discover Project Board of Directors and the Advisory Board for the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority. He served on the Virginia Assistive Technology Council and as a member of the Court-Appointed Special Advocates and the Central Virginia Lions Hearing Aid Bank advisory boards. Ron is a member of the Virginia Association of the Deaf, Hearing Loss Association of America and Black Deaf Advocates. He is co-founder of the Richmond/Hampton Organization of the Deaf and a Trustee at the Cedar Street Baptist Church. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR). Ron is a native of Roanoke where, at age 7, he became hard of hearing as a result of an automobile accident. He is the father and grandfather of a deaf child and mentors deaf youth in his community.
Position: Agency Head
Thomas J. Leach
Thomas J. Leach has served as volunteer staff for the Virginia Board’s Youth Leadership Forum for a number of years. He is a devoted volunteer and fundraiser for various community projects, and previously served as President of the member council of Adult Care Services’ Board of Directors (now known as a Grace Place). He was a key volunteer of the Billy Austin Sidewalk Project, which raised $143,000 and led to the construction of a sidewalk for disabled persons between The Virginia Home and Maymont Park. Thomas completed his high school education at Kirk-Cone Rehabilitation Center. He previously worked at Progressive Group Alliance, Alfa Laval Inc. as a Literature Assistant and Office Services, and the VCU library. Since 2011, Thomas has been employed by Medical Equipment Distributors, Inc. (MED) where he serves as a Data Entry Specialist. Thomas, who has cerebral palsy, has participated at a Grace Place and contributed his talents to them for the past 15 years.
Position: Person with a developmental disability
Carol Lewin
Carol Lewin earned both her undergraduate and Masters degrees from George Mason University. She served as an auditor for the U.S. General Accounting Office and as Treasurer and Financial Officer, and later retired early from her own accounting and tax practice in Northern Virginia to be a full-time parent and caregiver to her son Jimmy, age 17, who has a neurogenetic condition, Ataxia-Telangiectasia. She has worked closely with the A-T Children’s Project to raise funds and awareness for rare disease research. She is also active in the Williamsburg-James City County Schools as a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee. Carol and her family enjoy the Dream Catchers Therapeutic Riding Center in Toano, VA.
Position: Immediate relative/guardian of person with mental impairing developmental disability
Dennis Manning
Dennis J. Manning is President and CEO of Community Residences, Inc. in Chantilly, VA. He earned his Master in Social Work degree from Syracuse University and his Master of Science in Management degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Colonel in 2003. Dennis has served numerous organizations, including nonprofit agencies and professional associations, as a board member and through committee work. He currently serves as Chair of the Board’s Education and Employment Committee.
Position: Immediate relative/guardian of person developmental disability
Mary McAdam
Mary McAdam is a current student at Old Dominion University where she is pursuing her undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies including Special Education, General Curriculum K-12. Mary is a 2004 Virginia Board Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) alumnus and has been an active and devoted volunteer at the YLF for 6 years. She has also served in multiple local organizations helping to spread disability awareness and create change within her community. Mary has received several awards for her efforts in advocacy and community outreach. She is also a scholar, having received a Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges Award, a Student Leadership Award, and an AHEAD Scholarship.
Position: Person with developmental disability
Charles Meacham
Charles Meacham works with Dominion Resources in Supply Chain Management. He has been involved in numerous civic organizations, including Community-Based Services, Housing Options, Central VA Friends of L’Arche, and Tuckahoe Little League Baseball, Challenger Division. His work has helped youth and adults with physical and developmental disabilities excel. Position: Immediate relative/guardian of person with mental impairing developmental disability
Colleen Miller
Colleen Miller is the Executive Director of the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA) which is Virginia's protection and advocacy system serving people with disablities.
Position: Agency Designee
April Carpenter Niamtu
April Carpenter Niamtu is a native of Mississippi and grew up in Virginia Beach. She worked in the mortgage business for 15 years, and since 1996, has served as director of Niamtu Cosmetic Surgery Education, LLC. April is married to Dr. Joe Niamtu. She has three children, two of whom have severe intellectual and physical disabilities. April is active in various community organizations, including Noah’s Children, Operation Smile, Greater Richmond ARC, and the Safe Harbor Women’s Shelter. She has received numerous community service awards for her volunteer work, including the Bon Secours Magnificent Mom Award (2006), an Award of Merit in Economics, Social, and Environmental Development in conjunction with the Greater Richmond ARC, and the Greater Richmond Lady Bug Award for Meritorious Service to Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families (2008).
Position: Immediate relative or guardian of a person with a mentally impairing developmental disability
Ralph Owen
Ralph Owen served the U.S. Postal Service for more than three decades and received the Virginia Postmaster of the Year award in 2004. He has received other honors for his work in the postal system as well as volunteer service awards for his work with young adults with disabilities at the Northern Virginia Training Center. Ralph currently serves on the boards of The Arc of the Greater Roanoke Valley and The Arc of Virginia. He and his wife live in Blue Ridge, VA with their 37-year-old son who has Down Syndrome.
Position: Parent/Guardian of person with developmental disability
Jessica Philips
Jessica Philips began working with individuals with autism in 1994. After completing her undergraduate degree in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, she earned a Master’s degree from the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. While in graduate school, Jessica worked with individuals with severe behavior disorders on the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She joined Commonwealth Autism Service in 2003 where she currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Jessica has taught coursework pertaining to applied behavior analysis and autism at several universities. She is a past member of the Virginia Autism Council and has received a certificate in nonprofit management through Virginia Commonwealth University. Jessica currently serves as a member of the board of directors for SupportOne, a Richmond based nonprofit serving individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Position: Non-Government Service Provider
Lee Price
Lee Price joined the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in June 2004 as the Director of the Office of Mental Retardation (now Developmental Services). Prior to joining the Department, Lee was the Richmond division manager for Community Residences, Inc., a private, non-profit organization based in Arlington, Va. He also served as the intellectual disability services director for the Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck CSB, the director of Camp Baker Services, a vocational program director for Chesterfield County CSB, and executive director of the Franklin County Sheltered Workshop, Inc. His leadership experience in both the public and private sectors of community services in Virginia extends over 32 years. He holds a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, which he received in 1979. Lee is married and has one daughter.
Position: Agency Designee
Lauren Snyder Roche
Lauren Snyder Roche earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art Education (preK-12) from Virginia Commonwealth University. She taught in Louisa County and Chesterfield County, teaching approximately 900 students during her career. Lauren is a 2010 Partners in Policymaking graduate and is currently serving as treasurer on the Virginia Statewide Independent Living Council (VASILC). Lauren was born with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos and Factor V Leiden deficiency. She has a passion for serving in the community, teaching advocacy skills, and ensuring equality for each citizen of Virginia through outreach.
Position: Person with developmental disability
Sarah Ratner
Sarah Ratner is an Associate Attorney on the Labor and Employment team at Hunton & Williams in Richmond Virginia. Sarah received her J.D from the University of Virginia where she was part of the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review and the Editor in Chief of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. Sarah has a son with autism and is involved with the Autism Society of America and the Women's Advocacy Project. Sarah currently serves as Chair of the Board’s Community Integration Committee.
Position: Parent/Guardian of person with developmental disability
Korinda Rusinyak
Korinda Rusinyak works as a Peer Mentor for the Endependence Center in Norfolk. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Services from Virginia Wesleyan College. Korinda has cerebral palsy and walks with the aid of crutches. Having lived with a disability her entire life, Korinda believes people come before the disability, and that individuals with disabilities have a right to make their own choices and be an active part of the community. Korinda serves as the Chair of the Board’s Advocacy and Outreach Committee.
Position: Individual with a developmental disability
Angela Sadsad
Angela Sadsad is a 2009 graduate of the Board’s Partners in Policymaking (PIP) program. Through her experience with PIP, Angela created sibArt, Inc., an organization that utilizes art therapy to address including for children with disabilities as well as sibling issues in families where disabilities are present. Angela serves as a Vice President for the Tidewater, Virginia chapter of the Autism Society of America. She and her husband Ron have two daughters, 11-year-old Jennalyn and 10-year-old Mimi, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. , Angela has been in the banking industry for over r 19 years and is currently Vice President for BB&T in Norfolk, VA. She believes that banking is a noble profession because bankers assist clients in meeting their financial goals and dreams. Her career is a perfect complement to working with the disability community: “The one thing that binds us all together is our humanity…our simple desire to determine our own futures, to attain the things we dream about. There’s not one human being, disability or not, that can’t identify with that.” Angela currently serves as Chair of the Board’s Community Living and Transportation Committee.
Position: Banking Representative
Terry Smith
Terry Smith is the Director of the Long-Term Care Division at the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS), Virginia’s Medicaid agency. She has 32 years of experience in public and private sector work with long-term care systems. She is actively involved with long-term care reform. Prior to her work with the Commonwealth, Terry has served as CEO of a community action agency, Executive Director of the YWCA in Winston-Salem NC, and as a planner for the United Way of the Greater Carolinas. Terry holds a Bachelor and Master degree in Business and has completed work on her doctorate in hospital and health care administration.
Position: Agency Designee
Carl Tate
Carl Tate is a long time community and political activist who devotes much of his spare time to helping those with intellectual disabilities, including his youngest brother. Carl received his J.D. from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. He resides in Staunton, VA, and hopes to “help all children with intellectual disabilities be fully integrated into Virginia’s educational system and society.”
Position: Immediate relative/guardian of person with mental impairing developmental disability
Ed Turner
A native of Accomack County, Ed Turner was educated in the era before changes in the law guaranteed children with disabilities access to a free appropriate public education. Born with cerebral palsy, Ed graduated from high school, went on to Old Dominion University, and joined the staff of the Norfolk Center for Independent Living (now the Endependence Center, Inc.) while still living with his parents. Determined to lead the way for others, Ed moved into his own apartment in 1982. Ed serves as Assistant Administrator at the Virginia Board in the late 80s and later started his own disability rights consulting business. Ed also worked for many years with the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has written numerous publications on self-advocacy for employment and workplace accommodations, and was honored in 2005 with the Virginia Board’s Jackie Crews Excellence in Leadership Award. He served Gov. Tim Kaine and Gov. Bob McDonnell as Special Advisor to the Governor of the Commonwealth on disability issues and retired from the post in 2010.
Position: Person with a developmental disability
Kimberly Vanderland
Kimberly Vanderland’s biography is coming soon.
Position: Technology Representative
Kathleen Vaughan
Kathleen Vaughan is the No Wrong Door (NWD) Coordinator at the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). NWD envisions public agencies and private providers partnering together via an integrated delivery system to offer self-directed access to all long term support options for older adults and adults with disabilities in Virginia. Ms. Vaughan has a Masters degree in Public Policy and a Bachelors Degree in Government; she has held several appointed positions in state government. Motivated by a passion for human rights, Ms. Vaughan has dedicated her life to advocacy and public service. Prior to joining the Virginia Dept for the Aging (now DARS), Ms. Vaughan participated in self-advocacy leadership at the Partnership for People with Disabilities, working on health promotion, self-advocacy community mobilization and mentoring programs administered under several federal and state grants. Originally born and raised in Texas, Ms. Vaughan now resides in Richmond.
Position: Agency Designee
Rose Williams
Rose Williams, a Charlottesville native, is a published poet/essayist and motivational speaker. Born with cerebral palsy, Rose is co-chair of the Charlottesville/Albemarle VSA Arts, which promotes artistic value among individuals with disabilities. She also serves on the Charlottesville ADA Advisory Board, and was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Virginia in 2008. In addition to her service on the Virginia Board, Rose had previously been named as the 2007 recipient of the Board’s prestigious Jackie Crews Award for her advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities in her hometown. Rose’s motto of inspiration is “Find Your Passion and Make it Happen.” With her deep faith, positive spirit and contagious smile, Rose is dedicated to educating, advocating and raising awareness of the abilities and challenges of the disability population on a local and state level.
Position: Person with developmental disability
