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Barbara Coulter Edwards currently serves as Director of the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group in the Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey and Certification at CMS. She has almost 30 years of public and private sector experience in health care financing. She is a nationally recognized expert in Medicaid policy, including managed care, cost containment, long-term care and State and federal health care reform. During her time as Ohio’s Medicaid Director, Barb led significant program reforms, including implementation of Ohio’s comprehensive strategy to promote access to home and community-based long-term services and supports |
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David Egan, is an eager advocate for people with disabilities at the local, national and international level. A Booz-Allen Hamilton staff employee in the Distribution Center since 1998, he is a trail blazer in the competitive employment of people with disabilities. He serves on several Boards to promote Abilities and collaborate with other advocacy groups. He was elected to serve on the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action, the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia, and the Special Olympics Virginia where he succeeded in putting forward a motion to have a person with disability hired on the staff. |
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Seth Harris was nominated to be the Deputy Secretary of Labor on February 23, 2009. Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Harris served as a Professor of Law at New York Law School and Director of its Labor & Employment Law Programs. While teaching at the New York Law School, Mr. Harris was also a Senior Fellow at the Life Without Limits Project of the United Cerebral Palsy Association and a member of the National Advisory Commission on Workplace Flexibility. Prior to his work at the New York Law School, Mr. Harris served for seven years at the Department of Labor during the Clinton Administration, spanning the tenures of Secretaries Robert Reich and Alexis Herman. |
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Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is best known for his signature legislative achievement—The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA has broken down barriers, created opportunities and transformed lives, providing opportunity and access for more than 50 million Americans with disabilities. Senator Harkin worked with Senator Hatch on the ADA Amendments bill in 2008 to ensure continuing protections from discriminations. Senator Harkin is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, working to guarantee that our economy works for all Americans. Senator Harkin has been invited to present at AFP’s opening plenary session |
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Andrew Imparato is the Senior Counsel and Disability Policy Director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He formerly served as President and CEO of American Association of People with Disabilities, which he led in becoming the nation's largest cross-disability membership group. Mr. Imparato was instrumental in the passage of significant legislation focused on the disability community, and served four years on the bipartisan Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel to the Social Security Administration.
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William E. Kiernan is the Director of the Institute for Community Inclusion (UniversityCenter on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) and Research Professor in the Graduate College of Education and the McCormack School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Bill has served as an international consultant in seven countries in the development of adult service systems for persons with disabilities and has provided training and technical assistance in more than 45 states. The author of more than 125 articles and reports in the field of disabilities with a specific emphasis on transition, employment, public policy development, workforce development and systemic change, and the member of several national boards, former President of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Bill will provide an overview of the current state of employment and the challenges that keep AFP from its goal. |
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Sharon Lewis is Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.Prior to her appointment,she served as the Senior Disability Policy Advisor to U.S. House Committee on Education & Labor, advising members of the Committee on legislative strategy and disability-related policy issues in education, employment and healthcare, and as a Kennedy Public Policy Fellow for U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Children & Families. The recipient of numerous awards, Sharon has also worked extensively on the state level, working on public policy for the Oregon Developmental Disabilities Coalition and for the Arc. She served as the co-chair of the Oregon Family Action Coalition Team, founded DisabilityCompass.org and managed the Oregon Partners in Policymaking Program.
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Julie Petty has played a leading role in building the self-advocacy movement in Arkansas and across the country. She was state coordinator of People First of Arkansas from 1998 to 2007, and served as chair of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) from 2006 to 2008. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and holds a degree in journalism. She is a consultant with Human Service Research Institute (HSRI), and has led projects on self-advocacy and youth leadership. Julie currently works for the Arkansas UCEDD, Partners for Inclusive Communities as a project trainer. Julie will open the AFP Summit with a call to action on “Why Employment Matters”.
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Frank Sesno is Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, former CNN Senior Vice President and Washington bureau chief, and host and creator of Planet Forward, a user-driven web site and PBS program addressing energy and global environmental issues. A former anchor, White House correspondent and interview host with CNN, Sesno is also a nationally-renowned moderator, engaging some of the world’s leading personalities. From five American presidents, to Yasser Arafat, Margret Thatcher and Walter Cronkite, Sesno has spoken with some of the most influential people of our time. Sesno will once again serve as the moderator for AFP’s Town Hall.
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Michael F. Shriver is Business Support Executive for Bank of America’s Global Corporate Social Responsibility Team, responsible for managing key operational, business, support and strategic issues including support. He is responsible for managing the Support Services business operation for the bank, which provides in sourcing products and services to the company, while employing nearly 300 individuals with intellectual disabilities. Shriver began his career working with individuals with intellectual disabilities in 1977 and served as Chief Executive Officer of Penn-Mar Organization. Shriver will present the employer’s perspective at the Town Hall.
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Timothy P. Shriver is the Chairman, Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics, serving 3.1 million Special Olympics athletes and their families in 175 countries. Shriver has helped transform Special Olympics into a movement that focuses on respect, acceptance and inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities, by creating exciting new initiatives in athlete leadership, cross-cultural research, health, education and family support. Shriver is a powerful and vocal advocate for the IDD community, frequently testifying before Congress and appearing on “The Today Show”, CNN, MTV and “A World of Difference”, and producing or co-producing films including “The Ringer”, “Amistad”, “The Loretta Claiborne Story”. Shriver will speak about the power of vision and purpose at our plenary session. |
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Ricardo Thornton is a clerk at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. Ricardo began by volunteering at the library as a young person 32 years ago, as part of a special education program, working with a job coach, eventually gained the skills necessary to become a full-time paid employee. A vocal self advocate, dedicated husband and father, athlete and ambassador with the Special Olympics, Ricardo speaks passionately about the importance of full participation and integrated employment for people with developmental disabilities.
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Steve Wooderson, CEO, Council of State Administrator of Vocational Rehabilitation. Steve’s experience in VR spans nearly 30 years of service in the public program. Prior to joining CSAVR, Steve was the administrator of Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and oversaw the state VR and independent living programs, as well as the disability determination services bureau. He has served at all professional levels in the public vocational rehabilitation program; which gives him a unique perspective of the local, state and national implications of VR service delivery. |
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Summit 2011 
