Tricia Mason Elected Chair of the Access Board March 16, 2007

The Access Board elected public member Tricia Mason chair at its March meeting. Appointed to the Board by President Bush in 2005, Mason serves as a State Government Relations Specialist at Easter Seals in its Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.

“I appreciate this opportunity to help lead an organization that plays such an important leadership role in accessible design,” Mason noted. “I look forward to the year ahead and the work the Board has underway to advance accessibility on a variety of fronts.” This agenda includes developing new guidelines for public rights-of-way and passenger vessels and updating existing design criteria for transportation vehicles and electronic and information technology.

Mason is a former president of the Little People of America, a non-profit organization for individuals of short stature and their families, and serves as its representative to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A117 Committee. The ANSI A117 Committee maintains design standards for accessible buildings and facilities. She is originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming where she chaired the Mayor's Council for People with Disabilities. Mason holds a bachelor's degree in Textiles Merchandising and Interior Design from the University of Wyoming and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Political Management with a focus on issues management at George Washington University.

The Board is structured to function as a coordinating body among Federal agencies and to directly represent the public. Half its members are representatives from most of the Federal departments. The other half is comprised of members of the public appointed by the President. Each year the Board selects a new chair, alternating between a public member and a Federal member. Mason succeeds Federal member David L. Bibb, Deputy Administrator of the General Services Administration, who was elected vice chair.

For more information about the Board and its members, visit our members page.