NCD Members and Staff

National Council on Disability
1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20004

202-272-2004 General Information
202-272-2074 TTY
202-272-2022 Facsimile

Note: Please direct correspondence for NCD members to the National Council on Disability address listed above.

Members

John R. Vaughn, Fort Myers, Florida, chairperson. Mr. Vaughn is a retired executive in the financial services industry. He is also a former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services and Commissioner of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. Mr. Vaughn was appointed to the Florida Rehabilitation Advisory Council for Blind Services by Governor Jeb Bush and he was also appointed to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao's Working Committee on Work Place Issues in connection with President Bush's Twenty-first Century Work Force Initiative.

Chad Colley, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Vice Chairperson. Mr. Colley is a decorated Vietnam veteran who has been active in veteran and disability issues for over three decades. In 1984, he was selected the Handicapped American on behalf of President Ronald Reagan and is a past national commander of Disabled American Veterans. Mr. Colley's service includes positions as vice chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and chairman of the Veterans Administration Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation, among others.

Patricia Pound, Austin, Texas, Vice Chairperson. Ms. Pound is the executive director of the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. She is the founding president of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities and a current member of the National Association of Governor's Committees on People with Disabilities.

Victoria Ray Carlson, Naperville, Illinois. Ms. Carlson is a homemaker with three young girls. She was the executive director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Iowa Chapter. She has worked at the U.S. Departments of Energy and Housing and Urban Development and for Senator Robert Dole in the Republican Leader's Office. In addition, Ms. Carlson was the Iowa Organization Coordinator for Branstad for Governor and worked in the Iowa House of Representatives. Ms. Carlson was also a member of the Iowa Persons with Disabilities Commission.

Robert R. Davila, Ph.D., New Market, Maryland. Dr. Davila is the President of Gallaudet University. He recently retired after a career that included teaching, administration at Gallaudet and the National Technical Institute for the deaf, and serving as assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Graham Hill, Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Hill is counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He is a veteran Hill staffer and was an advisor for disability policy on the Bush/Cheney presidential campaign. He also worked as a fellow in the office of Senator Phil Gramm of Texas.

Marylyn Howe, Marshfield Hills, MA. Ms. Howe is currently the director of public policy at the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. She was formerly the executive director of the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Partnership at Children's Hospital in Boston, where she advocated strongly for people with disabilities to become empowered and independent through technology. She is a former Board Member of the National Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP) and a former President and co-founder of the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA).

Kathleen Martinez, Oakland, California. Ms. Martinez is executive director of the World Institute on Disability, a nonprofit research, public policy and  advocacy center dedicated to promoting independence and societal inclusion of  people with disabilities.

Lisa Mattheiss, East Ridge, Tennessee. Ms. Mattheiss is the parent of a child with special needs. She is a Parents Advisory Council member/volunteer at TC Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga. She is the founder and executive director of LifeLine Ministry of Hamilton Baptist Church. Mrs. Mattheiss is involved with the board of Tennessee's Parent Training and Information organization, STEP, Inc. (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents, Inc.), and she is part of the Tennessee Respite Coalition.

Heather Whitestone McCallum, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Ms. McCallum was selected as Miss America in 1995, the first woman with a disability to be crowned Miss America in the pageant's 75-year history. Ms. McCallum also spearheaded the nation's largest multimedia public service campaign to identify early hearing loss, which was created by the Miss America Organization and the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the deaf. The former Miss Alabama grew up in Atlanta.

Katherine McCary, Midlothian, Virginia. Ms. McCary is a Vice President of SunTrust Banks, Inc. and reports to the Chairman, President and CEO, SunTrust, Mid-Atlantic and has corporate responsibility for the Accessing Community Talent (ACT) Program, a disability program that seeks to increase the employment of people with disabilities throughout SunTrust's workforce and to increase awareness of marketing opportunities for customers with disabilities. She manages the Corporate Disability Resource Center which provides disability information internally to employees and managers. She acts as disability consultant to SunTrust's 17 Diversity Councils.

Lonnie C. Moore, Chula Vista, California. Mr. Moore currently serves as a Program Analyst for the Army Warrior Transition Office, where he writes policy and makes recommendations to improve care and transition for wounded and ill soldiers. He also serves as the Western Chair for the Secretary of Veteran's Affairs Service Members and Families Council. Mr. Moore was combat-wounded in Iraq, where he led more than 60 combat missions.

Anne. M. Rader, McLean, Virginia. Ms. Rader has more than a 20 year career in public policy, strategic planning, advocacy and management consulting in global health, public health and economic development within the private, public and non-profit sectors. She is currently an Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton supporting global and civil health care issues, within the Public Health and Preparedness team, for federal and non-profit client interests. Ms. Rader is active in advocacy and public policy outreach for people with disabilities. In addition, she serves on the Board of Trustees for United Cerebral Palsy Associations. She is also a speaker on disability and has served on international delegations and national panels to promote greater dialogue and understanding of disability cross-culturally.

Linda Wetters, Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Wetters is assistant executive director of the State of Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, where she assists in the administration of the state agency designated to provide vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities.

Tony Williams, Clyde Hill, Washington. Mr. Williams is a founding partner and Chairman of Washington Advocates, a Northwest-based public affairs firm with offices in Bellevue and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a wide variety of Northwest companies and organizations, including Bonneville Power Administration, Weyerhaeuser Corporation, the University of Washington, Chelan County Public Utility District, Russell Investments, Trident Seafoods and Sound Transit. He is the parent of a special needs student.

Staff

Mike Collins, Executive Director, joined NCD as its executive director in June 2007. He previously served as the first executive director of the California State Independent Living Council. He is a long-time disability advocate who is very familiar with disability and long-term care-related programs and services, the wide variety of disability civil rights laws, and vocational rehabilitation practices and regulations at the federal and state levels. He was also a key participant in numerous initiatives designed to enhance the ability of people with disabilities to live independently, as required by the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision that has increased the demand for community-based services.

Stacey S. Brown is NCD's staff assistant. He also conducts the administrative aspects of agency meetings and teleconferences. His prior experience includes working as a receptionist and clerk with the Board for International Broadcasting.

Julie Carroll is an NCD senior attorney advisor. She was the director of Government and Industry Relations, Information Technology Technical Assistance Training Center, Law, Health Policy and Disability Center at the University of Iowa College of Law. Previously, she worked as an advocacy attorney at the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Joan M. Durocher is an NCD senior attorney advisor. Ms. Durocher served as a Commissioner on the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law from 2002 to 2005.  She currently chairs the Subcommittee on Lawyers with Disabilities for the Section and is on the editorial board.

Martin Gould, Ed.D. is NCD's director of research. He joined the NCD staff as senior research specialist in January 2000.

Lisa Grubb is NCD's special assistant to the executive director. Prior to joining NCD, Ms. Grubb was a key participant in Virginia's efforts to implement changes in state policies for people with disabilities. Ms. Grubb has represented Virginia nationally in her role as executive director to Virginia's Statewide Independent Living Council. Prior to her career in advancing disability rights, Ms. Grubb was instrumental in creating and implementing Individual Development Accounts in Tennessee.

Geraldine-Drake Hawkins, Ph.D, Senior Program Analyst, joined NCD’s staff in November 1999 with experiences in assessment, program evaluation, teaching (Pre-K thru higher education), U.S. Department of Education monitoring & assistance to states. She is a consumer member on the Mid-Atlantic Advisory Committee for Magellan Health Services, and Mid-Atlantic ADA Center Advisory Board.

Carla Nelson is NCD's secretary. Prior to her work at NCD, Ms. Nelson was an executive secretary at the U.S. Postal Service.

Mark S. Quigley is NCD's director of external affairs. He joined the NCD staff in May 1990.

Anne C. Sommers joined the NCD staff as its legislative affairs specialist in November 2008. She comes to NCD after serving for two years as policy counsel to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Prior to joining AAPD full-time, Sommers did consultant work for AAPD on a disability rights project for the national American Civil Liberties Union.