Advisory Committee Members
Arizona
John Britton is Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) Region 2 Representative. He wants to support the grant and support SABE and the People First of Arizona group to do a good job on the grant. He has worked at Target for 14 years and he is a self-advocate at his job and his whole life.
Katie Griffith started her advocacy work in 2006 teaching the Southwest Institute for Families and Children Fast track Program to high school students and completing the program herself so she had the ability to teach others later on during that time. Katie Griffith graduated with her AA degree in Biblical Studies from Andersonville Theological Seminary. Now Katie continues to do advocacy with Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), People First of Arizona and Youth Action Council of Arizona and loves every minute of it! She is the new People First of Arizona President.
Monica Cooper describes herself as a leader; she is President of OASIS, Vice President of People First of Arizona. Speaking at the legislature is one of her greatest accomplishments because she has a passion for speaking up about what’s right for people with and without disabilities.
Jolene De Tiege is a core company member of Theatre360, that is part of an advocacy program under Ability360. She enjoys being part of a company that self advocates through a creative outlet such as the performing arts. Jolene has a passion for social justice, and hopes to learn more about self advocating for herself and others.
Alyssa Mills is an active member of the Youth Action Council of Arizona since 2011, and President of the organization since March of 2014. I have also presented on the national level about youth leadership and advocacy. Being a youth leader and advocate means that I can help others to find their voice and advocate for their needs and goals.
Colorado
Vicki Wrey has lived in Colorado her whole life. She has been a member at large of the Arc of Colorado board of directors for over 5 years and a member of People First of Denver for over 10 years, most recently as President. Vicki is currently the Historian for Speaking for Ourselves Colorado. She is currently on the Self Advocates Becoming Empowered Board representing region 3.
Heidi Haines has been with The Arc of Colorado since 2012. Heidi works as the Projects Coordinator and also serves as an advisor to the People First chapter in Denver. Heidi has long demonstrated a passion for disability rights, and understanding of the critical issues and the desire to collaborate with a wide range of advocacy and community groups in the state of Colorado and nationwide. In 2013 Heidi was admitted membership to The National Conference of Executives of The Arc (NCE).
New Mexico
Amira Rasheed is the SABE Region 3 Board member and is a member of New Mexico Allies, New Mexico Disability Young Disability Leaders and is the President of the People First of Albuquerque. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of New Mexico. She is also a field producer for the local public access channel Quote Unquote.
Daniel Ekman has an MA Special Education from the University of New Mexico and won the 2013 Outstanding Student with a Disability Award from the Southwest Conference on Disability. He works at the New Mexico Center for Self-Advocacy as the Program Manager and Outreach Coordinator. He is a member of various self-advocacy groups including New Mexico Allies for Advocacy, People First of Albuquerque, New Mexico Young Disability Leaders and the Jemez Vocational Rehabilitation Advisory Council.
Adam Shand has worked at the New Mexico Center for Self Advocacy since 2012 as a Program Representative. He helps teach new advocates about how to speak up for themselves and presents on various topics in the community among other tasks. Adam also was the People First Statewide Advisor for The Arc of New Mexico from 2011 to 2014 and won the 2009 Robert LaCompte Award for Disability Advocacy from the Arc of New Mexico.
Texas
James Meadours has been involved in self-advocacy for 25 years. He has served as the Chair of SABE and been on the Boards of TASH, The Arc, and what is now the President’s Committee on Intellectual Disability. He is the former State Self-Advocacy Project Coordinator in Louisiana, the co-Coordinator of the Peer to Peer Grant for Texas Advocates, and the Self-Advocacy and Self-Determination Specialist for Disability Rights Texas. Currently, he sits on the Board for Disability Rights Texas and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered as region 9 representative.
Shaun Bickley is an autistic self-advocate who coordinates the SAVE grant for Texas Advocates. He has a state appointment to Texas’ Employment First Task Force and is co-Chair of the University of Texas Center for Disability Studies’ Community Advisory Council. He was a community organizer for 4 years in southeast Texas and is a 2012 graduate of the Midwest Academy for Social Change. He also started the Houston chapter of Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
Kendra Kerbow is the President of Texas Advocates. She has worked for MHMR of Tarrant County for 17 years. Employment is very important to her; besides her duties with Texas Advocates, she serves on the state’s Employment First Task Force. She is very involved in her community and has lived on her own for over 20 years. She is passionate about voting because she sees it as a way to express herself and to speak for her rights.