Cheryl Bates-Harris, is a Senior Disability Advocacy Specialist for the Training and Advocacy Support Center (TASC) of NAPAS where she has over 20 years experience and expertise working with people with disabilities. She has an in-depth knowledge of cross disability issues and continues to focus on employment issues of people with disabilities, including Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Security and Return to Work, TANF, and other work programs that impact people with disabilities, including DOL OneStops. Since the passage of Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement Act she has conducted national training on TWWIIA and Vocational Rehabilitation Services and has conducted extensive training on the intersection issues of the Ticket to Work with state vocational rehab services. Cheryl currently co-chairs the CCD Work Incentives Implementation task force and CCD Employment and Training task force and is an active member of the CCD Social Security Task Force. She was an invited participant in the Ticket to Work & Work Incentive advisory Panel 2003 EN Summit. The President appointed her to serve a 4-year term ending in 2008.

Katie Beckett is 28 years old and currently working towards graduate school studying writing for children and young adults. Katie has been an advocate all her life and has done several presentations before various audiences and Congressional committees. She is also a HUGE professional wrestling fan, as well as a fan of basketball—especially the WNBA and college hoops and ALL football teams. She has traveled quite a bit to Washington DC to speak before policymakers about kids with special health care needs. She is a co-founder of Kids as Self-Advocates (KASA) and former co-chair of the KASA Board. The Senate reappointed Katie to serve a two year term ending in 2008.

Libby Child was Manager, Integrated Disability Management Services for Steelcase, Inc for 25 years before resigning in December 2002 to pursue consulting, writing endeavors and teaching workers’ compensation classes for Michigan State University. At Steelcase, she was responsible for the fully integrated claims system where workers' compensation, short-term and long-term disability, permanent and total disability and compliance with the Family Medical Leave Act were fully coordinated and managed in one integrated unit.. Since 1990, Ms. Child has lectured extensively throughout the United States on the topics of workers' compensation and integrated disability management and continues to serve on many disability related boards, commissions and councils nationally and in the state of Michigan, representing employers’ interests. Ms. Child is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. She resides in Grand Rapids, MI. The President appointed her to serve a four-year term ending in 2006.

Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte, Chair ─ Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte has been a disability advocate for over 20 years. She resides in Florida with her husband Milton Aponte and Luz Elena (Lucy), the youngest of her three children who has significant developmental disabilities. Mrs. De La Rosa-Aponte holds a Masters of Arts Degree and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Colombia, South America. Her professional experience has been in the social service and educational fields. She has served on numerous state and local boards. Currently, Mrs. De La Rosa-Aponte serves as a member of the National Advisory Board on Improving Healthcare Services for Seniors and People With Disabilities for the AMERIGROUP Corporation. In addition, she serves as Vice Chair for the University of South Florida, University Center of Excellence For People with Developmental Disabilities and as a member of the local Memorial Hospital System Special Needs Advisory Board. Mrs. De La Rosa-Aponte was appointed to the Panel by the U.S. House of Representatives to serve a 4-year term ending in 2007 and designated by President George W. Bush to chair the Panel for a 4-year term ending in 2008.

Thomas P. Golden is on faculty at Cornell University and serves as the Associate Director of the Employment and Disability Institute in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Since joining faculty in 1991, he has directed several national initiatives focusing on training, technical assistance, and organizational development related to work incentives, transition systems change and employment for people with disabilities. He is a member of the National Academy on Social Insurance and was originally appointed to the Ticket to Work Panel by President William Jefferson Clinton for a two-year term. Since that time, the Senate has re-appointed him twice with his second term ending in 2008. Prior to joining faculty at Cornell, he worked in the arena of vocational rehabilitation specializing in supported employment and brain injury rehabilitation.

Frances Gracechild is the Executive Director of Resources for Independent Living, Inc. located in Sacramento California. Ms. Gracechild's other community work includes adjunct professor in the School of Health and Human Services at the University of California Sacramento, President of Health Access of California, and President of the Visual and Performing Arts Center Foundation for Sacramento High School. Currently Ms. Gracechild is serving as the co-chair of the California Quality Home Care Coalition and as a Board of Supervisors appointee to the Yolo County In-Home Supportive Services Advisory Committee. The House has re-appointed her to serve a four-year term ending in 2006.

Andrew J. Imparato, President, CEO, American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD). Andy has extensive experience in public policy work on behalf of people with disabilities. He has served as General Counsel and Director of Policy with the National Council on Disability, as attorney-advisor to Commissioner Paul Steven Miller at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Sub-committee on Disability Policy, chaired by Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. He graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School and received his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Yale. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. He was appointed as President and CEO of AAPD in November of 1999. He is nationally known as a speaker and author on disability issues particularly for his work to dispel myths about people with mental illness. The Senate re-appointed him to serve a 4-year term ending in 2008.

David Miller, is responsible for program compliance, quality assurance and information security at Communication Service for the Deaf in Sioux Falls, SD. Mr. Miller was formally the South Dakota State Director of Rehabilitation Services and was responsible for the administration of vocational rehabilitation, independent living, personal attendant and disability determination services throughout the state of South Dakota. Mr. Miller holds a masters degree in rehabilitation counseling and has over 30 years of leadership experience in the development and management of large public and private disability programs. The Senate reappointed him to serve on January 10, 2007.

Dorothy Watson, is an independent consultant who retired from the Social Security Administration as the Deputy Associate Commissioner for Disability and Income Assistance Policy. Her career includes 15 years of providing expert technical assistance on numerous disability reform proposals originating in the Executive and in the Legislative branch of the US Government. She served a stint on Capitol Hill as Professional Staff to the Senate Special Committee on Aging during the debate on highly publicized disability amendments. Dorothy was also a member of the Disability Research Institute’s Adequacy of Incentives Advisory Group that made recommendations for improvements in the Ticket to Work Program. She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. The President appointed her to a four-year term ending in 2008.

Torrey Westrom, In 1987, at age 14, he lost his eyesight in a farm related car accident. He graduated from Bemidji State University in 1995 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in business administration. In 1996, at the age of 23,  he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and became Minnesota's first elected blind state representative. In 2003, he was appointed by the Speaker of the House as the Chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee, a position he still holds.  He has served on several commissions and tasks forces including the Rural Health Care Advisory Task Force, the Sectretary  of State's voting equipment task force and the Minnesota Legislative Audit Commission.  He was re-elected to his fifth term in November 2004.

As a representative, he works on a wide-array of policy issues ranging from training/employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, transportation, energy and  rural development issues. He has a J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law, is a member of the Minnesota Bar and owns a small real estate management business. The President appointed him to serve a 4-year term ending in 2006.

Last Updated April 25, 2007