[Nfbf-l] Fw: President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

[Debbie]

So What is the definition of an "intellectual disability?" 

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President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
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From: White House Disability Group 
To: carlos.montas at gmail.com 
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 4:38 PM
Subject: President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts


??

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2011

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts



WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint
the following individuals to the President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities:



?

  a.. James T. Brett, Chair, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  b.. Peter V. Berns, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  c.. Clay Boatright, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  d.. Micki Edelsohn, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  e.. Ann Hardiman, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  f.. Alison A. Hillman de Velásquez, Member, President’s Committee for
People with Intellectual Disabilities 
  g.. Carl M. La Mell, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  h.. Annette McKenzie Anderson, Member, President’s Committee for People
with Intellectual Disabilities 
  i.. Carol Quirk, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  j.. Susana Ramirez, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  k.. Deborah M. Spitalnik, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  l.. Lillian Sugarman, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  m.. Liz Weintraub, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  n.. Carol Wheeler, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 
  o.. Sheryl White-Scott, Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities 


President Obama said, “These fine public servants both bring both a depth of
experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles.  Our nation will be
well-served by these men and women, and I look forward to working with them
in the months and years to come.” 


President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to
key Administration posts:



James T. Brett, Appointee for Chair, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

James T. Brett is the President and CEO of The New England Council, a
position he has held since 1996.  Prior to leading the Council, Mr. Brett
served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for 15 years.  He
currently serves as the Chairman of the Massachusetts Governor’s Commission
on Intellectual Disability, and sits on the Board of Directors of the
Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and the Advisory Councils of
the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps and the New England Center for
Children.  Mr. Brett has been honored with several awards for his advocacy
for the disabled, including receiving the Action for Boston Community
Development’s Lifetime Public Service Award, the Massachusetts Special
Olympics’ Distinguished Leadership Award, and the Hospice of Boston’s
Humanitarian of the Year Award. In 1996, Bay Cove Human Services of Boston
named a new community home for disabled adults "Brett House" in his honor.
Mr. Brett is a graduate of American University in Washington, DC, and holds
Masters Degrees in Public Administration from Suffolk University and from
the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.



Peter V. Berns, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Peter V. Berns is the Chief Executive Officer of The Arc, a charity
federation with 710 chapters nationwide dedicated to promoting the human
rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  A
nationally recognized nonprofit sector leader and public interest lawyer,
Mr. Berns served as the Executive Director of the Maryland Association of
Nonprofit Organizations from 1992 to 2008.  In addition, he served as Chief
Executive Officer of the Standards for Excellence Institute from 2004 to
2008 where he developed Standards for Excellence:  An Ethics and
Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector.  A frequent lecturer,
facilitator, consultant, and trainer, he has served as an adjunct faculty
member at Johns Hopkins University.  He was named to the Nonprofit Times
Power and Influence Top 50 list five times in the past decade.  Mr. Berns
has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from Harvard Law
School and an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.



Clay Boatright, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Clay Boatright is the President of the Board of Directors for The Arc of
Texas, a non-profit organization which creates opportunities for people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities to be included in their
communities and to make the necessary decisions on issues that affect their
lives.  In addition, Mr. Boatright serves on the Easter Seals North Texas
Autism Advisory Board, the Mosaic-Dallas Business Advisory Committee, the
Childrenfirst! Collin County Coalition, and the Long Term Care subcommittee
of the Texas Taskforce for Children with Special Needs.  Previously he
served as Board President for The Arc of Dallas and campus chair for the
Special and Gifted Education committee in the Plano Independent School
District.  Mr. Boatright is employed as a Vice President with the Dean Foods
Company in Dallas, and has previously worked with The Coca-Cola Company,
Ralston Purina, and Maybelline. Mr. Boatright is a father of three children,
including identical twins with intellectual disabilities and autism.  He
holds a B.A. in Communications and M.S. in Marketing from the University of
Memphis.



Micki Edelsohn, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Micki Edelsohn is currently the Treasurer of Homes for Life Foundation, a
nonprofit organization she founded in 1999 to build safe and comfortable
neighborhood group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities.  She
also works with local officials and businesses to secure meaningful
employment opportunities for the residents who live in the group homes. In
addition, Mrs. Edelsohn is collaborating with a local college to establish a
new curriculum for students interested in a career serving individuals with
disabilities. She has been active in many organizations including The Arc of
Delaware, the Governor’s Commission on Community Based Alternatives, the
Center for Disabilities Studies at the University of Delaware, and the
Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with Intellectual Disabilities. Most
recently, Mrs. Edelsohn was recognized by being named one of the 25 Who
Matter in Delaware by the Wilmington News Journal. She has also received the
Humanitarian Award from the United Way of Delaware, the Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Wilmington Senior Center, and the Delaware Housing Coalition
Award. Mrs. Edelsohn’s inspiration is her adult son who has an intellectual
disability.  She holds a B.A. from the Tyler School of Art at Temple
University. 



Ann Hardiman, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Ann Hardiman is currently the Executive Director of the New York State
Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA). NYSACRA
represents non-profit agencies serving people with developmental
disabilities and their families. Previously, she was an Assistant Executive
Director at Opengate Inc. From 1978 to 1992, Ms. Hardiman served as the
Director of Residential Services at Rehabilitation Inc. She currently sits
on the board and is the Secretary of Potential Unlimited Productions Inc.
Ms. Hardiman is the recipient of the Community Leader of the Year award
given by the NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. She holds a
B.A. from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam and a M.A. from
Marist College.


Alison A. Hillman de Velásquez, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee
for People with Intellectual Disabilities

Alison A. Hillman de Velásquez is Program Officer for the Open Society
Foundations’ Disability Rights Initiative, where she manages a grant making
program aimed at implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities.  From 2002 to 2009, Ms. Hillman directed the Americas
Programs at Disability Rights International, where she advocated for the
rights of persons with mental disabilities. Ms. Hillman sits on the Board of
Directors of the American Association of People with Disabilities. In 2003,
she received the Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award as an emerging leader
in the disability field. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D.
from American University, Washington College of Law.



Carl M. La Mell, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Carl M. La Mell is the President and CEO of Clearbrook, a service provider
for individuals with developmental disabilities in Illinois.  Previously,
Mr. La Mell held senior positions at Victor C. Neumann Association as Chief
Financial Officer, Associate Executive Director, and CEO.  Most recently, he
chaired the Finance Committee of the Illinois Statewide Early Intervention
Task Force.  Mr. La Mell is also a member of the Illinois Association of
Rehabilitation Facilities, the Illinois Department of Human Services State
Task Force on Autism, and the American Association of Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities.   He is the past recipient of various
distinguished awards, including the Executive of the Year Award from the
Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, the Community Leader of
the Year Award given by the City of Rolling Meadows, and the Claude D.
Pepper Distinguished Service Award.  Mr. La Mell holds a B.S. from DePaul
University. 


Annette McKenzie Anderson, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for
People with Intellectual Disabilities

Annette McKenzie Anderson, Ph.D. is the President & CEO of Diversified
In-Valuable Assistance (DIVA) Enterprises.  Recently, she served as an
Adjunct Clinical Supervisor for Graduate Students enrolled in the Speech
Language Pathology Clinical Practicum in the Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders at Howard University.  Previously, Dr. Anderson
served as a certified Speech Language Pathologist at Mamie D. Lee School,
the District of Columbia Public School for students with intellectual and
related disabilities.  During her tenure at Mamie D. Lee School, she
implemented interventions in the areas of communication, socialization,
cultural arts, community involvement, and adaptive skills for students.  Dr.
Anderson was recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation
by receiving the Louis M. DiCarlo National Award for Outstanding Clinical
Achievement in Human Communication Sciences and Disorders.  She was also a
recipient of the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award presented by The
Washington Post.  She holds a B.S. in Speech Pathology from Hampton
University, a M.S. in Speech Language Pathology from the University of the
District of Columbia (formerly, Federal City College), and a Ph.D. in
Special Education Administration from Gallaudet University.



Carol Quirk, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Carol Quirk is currently the Co-Executive Director of the Maryland Coalition
for Inclusive Education (MCIE), a non-profit corporation that provides
advocacy services to families and professional development opportunities to
schools.  Prior to this position, Dr. Quirk was the Executive Director of
East Baltimore Resources, an adult service agency that provides supported
employment opportunities to adults with disabilities.  She also served as a
specialist in early intervention and behavior and as a consultant to the
School District of Philadelphia. Dr. Quirk is the President of the TASH
Board of Directors, an international advocacy and professional disability
organization.  She is the recipient of the top 100 Minority/Women Business
Entrepreneurs Award for the Maryland-Virginia-District of Columbia region.
She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Connecticut, and an
Ed.D. from Johns Hopkins University.



Susana Ramirez, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Susana Ramirez is currently a Special Education Advocate at Disability
Rights Oregon, the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy Agency in
Oregon that advocates for the rights of individuals with disabilities. Ms.
Ramirez's responsibilities include individual representation of students in
special education, policy advocacy, and working closely with the Latino
community by providing individual rights trainings in Spanish. Ms. Ramirez
has held gubernatorial appointments in the Oregon Council on Developmental
Disabilities, Oregon State Advisory Council of Special Education, and the
Oregon Special Education Task Force. Ms. Ramirez has been a guest lecturer
at the University of Oregon Law School and Portland State University,
College of Education. In 2000, she received the Advocate of the Year Award
from the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, for her work
establishing Padres en Accion, a parent group focused on advocating for the
rights of Latino children with disabilities and their families. She is the
mother of three sons, one of whom has an intellectual disability. 



Deborah M. Spitalnik, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People
with Intellectual Disabilities

Deborah M. Spitalnik, Ph.D. is the founding Executive Director of The
Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities at New Jersey Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School, where she is also a Professor of Pediatrics. A
co-author of two editions of the classification manual in intellectual
disability, Dr. Spitalnik educates a wide range of constituencies including
individuals with disabilities and their families, medical students, resident
physicians, direct support professionals, and social workers. Dr. Spitalnik
chairs the New Jersey Medical Assistance Advisory Council, the National
Council on Quality and Leadership, was a previous member and chair of PCPID,
and is a past President of the Association of University Centers on
Disabilities.  She was the recipient of the Dybwad Humanitarian Award given
by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,
the Verice M.  Mason Community Service Leader Award, and the Ann Klein
Distinguished Advocate in Developmental Disabilities Award given by the
Community Health Law Project.  Dr. Spitalnik holds a B.A. in Psychology from
Brandeis University, an Ed.M. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology from Temple University.



Lillian Sugarman, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People
with Intellectual Disabilities

Lillian Sugarman is currently Director of the Early Head Start National
Resource Center at ZERO TO THREE (ZTT), an organization that informs,
trains, and supports professionals, policy makers and families in their
efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Ms. Sugarman has over
40 years of experience in the field of early childhood development. Prior to
joining ZTT, she served as Director of the Child Care Bureau’s Technical
Assistance Division at the Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children.  In this capacity, she was responsible for
managing several national technical assistance contracts funded by the Child
Care Bureau.  Ms. Sugarman is currently a member of the Human Rights
Committee at the Mary Campbell Center and previously served on the advisory
committee for the Special Quest Project, which supported services for
children with special needs. As a sibling to a sister with Down syndrome,
Ms. Sugarman has lifelong experience with the disability community. She
holds an M.A. in Teaching Early Childhood from the University of the
District of Columbia and an M.S.W. from Virginia Commonwealth University. 



Liz Weintraub, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Elizabeth Weintraub currently works for the American Association of
University Centers on Disabilities. She also serves as a consultant for the
National Children’s Center, and for the Council on Quality and Leadership
(CQL). She represents CQL in a variety of local, state, and national forums
regarding quality of life for people with disabilities.  She is the past
Chair of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council and is a board
member for the Maryland Disability Law Center.  She was previously a board
member of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
and Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered. Ms. Weintraub is a former appointee
to the President’s Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities.
She was the recipient of the Elizabeth Monroe Boggs Award for Young
Leadership and was recognized by the President of the American Association
on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities with a Presidential Award for
significant contributions to the mission of the organization.



Carol Wheeler, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities

Carol Wheeler most recently coordinated the Washington chapter of Project
Children and founded the Washington Ireland Program for Service and
Leadership. Previously, she was a consultant with America’s Public
Television Stations, Vice President for Government Affairs at the National
Association of Broadcasters, a Liaison for Women during President Carter’s
Administration, and Executive Director of the Women’s Campaign Fund. She
currently serves on the Honorary Board of N Street Village, a program for
homeless women, and chairs the Board of the South Africa-Washington
Internship Program. Ms. Wheeler is the mother of a young adult with Williams
Syndrome. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa. 



Sheryl White-Scott, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee for People
with Intellectual Disabilities 

Sheryl White-Scott is currently the Associate Director of Community Health
Services for the medically frail at AHRC/New York City and Medical Director
for Brooklyn Developmental Disabilities Services.  She is also an Assistant
Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at New
York Medical College.  Previously, Dr. White-Scott was the Director of the
Program for Developmental Disabilities (PFD) at Saint Vincent’s/Catholic
Medical Center.  Prior to her tenure at Saint Vincent’s, she was the
Director of Adult Health Services at the Westchester Institute of Human
Development, the University Center for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities Education, Research, and Service.  Dr White-Scott is currently
a member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities and former President of the American Association of University
Affiliated Programs (now Association of University Centers for
Disabilities).  Dr. White-Scott holds a B.A. in Natural Sciences from Johns
Hopkins University and an M.D. from SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine. 



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