SALLY ATWATER, Executive Director

A graduate of Winthrop College in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Sally Atwater holds B.S. and M. Ed. degrees in Special Education and did post-graduate work at the University of South Carolina. She interned for Senator Strom Thurmond in 1973, where she met her future husband, Lee Atwater. Upon completion of her education, she taught children with learning disabilities, mental retardation and emotional disorders in the South Carolina public school system.

Marriage to Lee Atwater in 1978 was followed by a move to Washington, DC. There, Ms. Atwater worked both independently and in support of her husband's various roles as a host of Republican organizations and candidates.

During the Reagan Administration, Ms. Atwater worked at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. She was later Chairman of the Republican Women's Federal Forum and a volunteer on both the Reagan-Bush campaign (1984) and the Bush-Quayle campaign (1988). Also, she was appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Education's National Advisory Board on International Education Programs.

Ms. Atwater's advocacy skills were honed following the collapse of her late husband in 1990, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This personal experience led her to become a strong advocate for patients and families coping with a life-threatening disorder. In 1991, President Bush appointed her to serve on the National Advisory for Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council at the National Institute of Health.

Ms. Atwater served as surrogate speaker during the 1992 Bush-Quayle campaign, and addressed the 1992 Republican Convention. She has served on the Republican Women’s Leadership Network, volunteered with the Bush-Cheney campaign, and has done fundraising for the Republican National Committee.

In 2001, Ms. Atwater was named the Executive Director of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (formerly the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation). The Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the President and the Secretary of The Department of Health and Human Services on matters relating to programs and services for persons with intellectual disabilities. The Committee is composed of 21 citizen members and 13 ex officio members who are appointed by the President. The ex officio members are heads of the Executive Branch who have programs that focus on people with intellectual disabilities.

Ms. Atwater was instrumental in changing the name of the committee from the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Under her leadership, the Committee has held three roundtable discussions. The focus of the roundtables was asset development, public awareness and employment of people with intellectual disabilities. The discussions resulted in the development of the 2004 Report the President, A CHARGE WE HAVE TO KEEP: A Road Map to Personal and Economic Freedom for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the 21st Century, which contained recommendations for improvements in public awareness, performance management, education and transition from school to work an adult life, employment and asset development and family services and supports. The 2005 Report to the President, Keeping the charge – Accessibility to Dental Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities, proposes recommendations focusing on dental healthcare and oral hygiene for people with intellectual disabilities. Ms. Atwater is dedicated to helping break down the barriers to people with disabilities as addressed in the President’s New Freedom Initiative.

A native South Carolinian, Sally Atwater currently resides in Washington, DC, with her three daughters, Sara Lee, Ashley, and Sally.

LAVERDIA TAYLOR ROACH, Special Assistant to the Executive Director

A native of Baton Rouge , Louisiana , Laverdia Taylor Roach earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education and Speech Pathology and Audiology from Southern University and A&M College , and a Master of Arts degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Bradley University in Peoria , Illinois. Her professional career began as Assistant Professor of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Southern University. Mrs. Roach began her career in Federal Government in 1970, and has assumed responsibilities that include: serving as Program Assistant in the Developmental Disabilities Office, where she helped write regulations governing implementation of the Developmental Disabilities Act and served as Acting Chief of the University-Affiliated Facilities Branch; serving as PCPID Prevention Program Specialist/Project Officer responsible for initiating and facilitating planning, coordination and implementation of PCPID initiatives in the area of prevention; serving on Administration transition teams; serving as Special Assistant to the PCPID Executive Director; and often serving as Acting Executive Director of The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, responsible for day-to-day staff administrative, managerial and programmatic functions and collaborating with both Department and constituency group officials.

From 1994 until 1999, Mrs. Roach served as Project Officer for the PCPID (formerly PCMR) initiative to plan and implement five annual National Collaborative Academies on Mental Retardation and Related Disabilities. She also serves on numerous Federal ad hoc groups and task forces concerned with disabilities. Mrs. Roach is the PCPID representative to the National Child Health and Human Development Advisory Committee; Honorary National Chairperson of the South Central Los Angeles Regional Center Prevention Commission; and Chairperson of the Southern University Special Education Advisory Council. She holds membership in national and local organizations including the American Association on Mental Retardation, the American Speech, Hearing and Language Association, the Art and Drama Therapy Institute, Phi Delta Kappa, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has been recognized for outstanding government service and named an “Outstanding Woman of America.”

KRISTYN “KODIE” SUE RUZICKA, Program Specialist

Originally from Utah , Kristyn “Kodie” Sue Ruzicka graduated with a bachelor's degree in history and speech/rhetoric from Hillsdale College , and a master's degree in public policy from Pepperdine University 's School of Public Policy where she studied American politics, political philosophy, economics and statistics.

Throughout her education, and following graduation, Miss Ruzicka worked for several state and federal campaigns and non-profit organizations, primarily concerned with family and social issues. Immediately prior to coming to PCPID, she served as executive director of a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing unsafe newborn abandonment and neonaticide through education and awareness of safe haven laws.

Miss Ruzicka is the recipient of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge National Award, and the 2003 Eagle Award for outstanding service to the cause of God, Family and Country.

Some of her duties at PCPID include serving as the designated ethics officer to the twenty-one citizen members of the committee, identifying and monitoring legislation and programs affecting the lives of those with intellectual disabilities, editing the Committee's annual report to the President, and completing special projects as assigned by the Committee's executive director.

SHEILA WHITTAKER, Administrative/Budget Officer

Sheila Whittaker started her Federal career in 1979 with the U.S. Department of Labor as an Intern from Mt. Ida Jr. College, Newton Center, Massachusetts , where she received her Associate's Degree in Human Services in May, 1983. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from Southeastern University in 1996 and a Master of Science degree in Public Management from the University of the District of Columbia in 1998.

From 1983 –1987, Ms. Whittaker worked in the Office of General Counsel, Inspector General Office as a Claim Examiner for the Office of Appeals. In 1987, her career began at the Administration for Children and Families where she continues to work today. Ms. Whittaker worked in the Office of Refugee Resettlement from 1987-1989. From 1989–1997 she worked as a Budget Assistant within the Office of Budget and Legislation Affairs, ACF. Ms. Whittaker started her career within PCMR (now PCPID) in 1997 as PCMR's Administrative/Budget Officer.

Ms. Whittaker is responsible for logistical and administrative services for all Presidential appointees to The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities; and for the provision of technical advice, guidance and support to management in administrative and budget services.

Ms. Whittaker's key responsibilities include the preparation of the annual PCPID budget, and accounting for all costs and expenses incurred by PCPID.

MADJID (MJ) KARIMI, Executive Assistant

Madjid (MJ) Karimi became the Executive Assistant to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities on April 2, 2007. He received an AA in Pre-Medicine and AS in Environmental Science and Policy from Montgomery College; BS in Health Care Management from Southern Illinois University; and a MBA in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Phoenix.

He has written articles on "Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness" published in both English and Persian. In 2007, he was a Medical Director for HIV patients at the Washington Hospital Center. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Karimi served as Quality Control Manager to the US Food and Drug Administration, Office of Drug Registration and Listing.

Due to the bioterrorism threats to the pharmaceutical ingredients and drug products, he reviewed and fixed over 10,000 drug entries at the agency's database to ensure their accuracy and safety. Mr. Karimi is a member of the American Cancer Society and International Honor Society of the United States Colleges and Universities.

 top of page