Ernestine Bowers
Contact:
ebowers@GNRC.org
615-862-8828
Ron Butler
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, family supports, government relations, and outreach.
Ron Butler is the parent of an adult son with an intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. He a past president of the Arc of Tennessee, where he is also a board member. In addition, he is a current board member of Mid-TN Supported Living, inc.
Contact:
gronbutler@comcast.net
615-352-9709
Jan Coatney
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, children's services, family supports, government relations, and outreach.
As a person born with severe hearing loss, Jan Coatney knew from a very young age that she wanted to help make life easier for persons with disabilities. She now has 20 years of experience working in the disabilities field and continues to feel that her life is enriched by the individuals whom she meets. Currently, Coatney works with the Tennessee Family Support Program, which provides assistance to more than 4,200 families.
Contact:
jan.coatney@state.tn.us
615-532-6552
Suzanne Colsey
Areas of Interest:Advocacy, adult services, children’s services, education, family supports, government relations, and outreach.
As a person who grew up with a developmental disability and now working as a professional in this field, I hope to leave a path of society acceptance for those who come after me. By serving on the council, I hope to give other professionals a broader perspective of people with disabilities.
Contact:
pftennwest@aol.com
(O)901-272-0059, 901-603-5864
Peggy Cooper
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, family supports, government relations, and outreach.
Peggy Cooper has worked in the disability field for over 20 years with experience in vocational rehabilitation, mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and advocacy. Having had a mother who was blind, she understands disabilities on a personal level. Cooper's passion is for people to be included in their communities, have meaningful employment, affordable homes, and opportunities to live life to the fullest.
Contact:
pcooper@thearctn.org
615-859-2519
Holly Lu Conant Rees
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, education, family supports, government relations, outreach, and research.
holly lu conant rees is the mom of a twenty-five year son, Samuel, who has a developmental disability and his own lawn-mowing business. holly lu has worked with and on behalf of families with children with disabilities for nearly two decades. She has taught in a developmental preschool; supported a kindergartner in a pilot inclusion project; assisted in the development of a statewide parent to parent network; served as Director of the Nashville Family Alliance Center, and currently works as an advocate with the Arc of Davidson County.
holly lu was co-founder and Co-Chair of the Education and Disabilities Advisory Council to Metro Nashville Public Schools. She is also a founding member of the statewide Disability Coalition on Education and SPAN-TN, and served as consultant and chair of the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council during the design process for the freestanding children’s hospital.
Contact:
hlu1055@comcast.net
(615)297-3018
Sandra Davis
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, education, family supports, outreach, research, and sibling issues.
Sandra Davis has experienced and continues to experience developmental disabilities from professional and personal frames of reference. She parents a son, Keith, who has developmental disabilities. In addition to navigating the paths to appropriate services for her son, her professional experiences include working with Vocational Rehabilitation Services, special needs adoptions, as well as advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities at the Disability Law and Advocacy Center of Tennessee.
Contact:
SandraD@DLACTN.org
615-298-1080, ext. 14
Carmencita Espada
Areas of Interest:Adocacy, adult services, education, and family supports.
The parent of a child with a developmental disability, Espada is interested in the education and the future of children. She believes that it is important to identifying a person's strengths and build upon them, whether in the arts, technology, or academics. She is passionate about employment for people with disabilities as many do not have the opportunity to work in meaningful jobs. She is a strong advocate for her child and others
Contact:
Carmencita.Espada@state.tn.us
615-977-6606 615-741-9444
Steven Glowicki
Contact:
steven.glowicki@tnstep.org
615-463-2310
Carol Greenwald
Areas of Interest: Adult Services, government relations, and outreach.
A mother of an adult son who has Down syndrome, Carol Greenwald has been involved in issues relating to people with disabilities since the time of her son's birth. She currently works for the STAR Center as a speech-language pathologist with a focus on augmentative communication. She completed her doctorate in special education and worked in higher education, most recently as the Interdisciplinary Training Director for the University of Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities. Greenwald serves as a Board member for West Tennessee Family Solutions, stays actively involved with the Down Syndrome Association of Memphis, is the current President of The Arc of Tennessee, and serves on other state and local disability groups.
Contact:
carolgreenwald@bellsouth.net
Charles Hall c/o Sharon Lee
Contact:
slee@midtn.org
Megan Hart
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, family supports, government relations, and outreach.
As Funding Specialist for Tennessee Technology Access Program, Megan Hart assists individuals with all types of disabilities, their family members, and professionals who serve them in identifying and accessing financial resources for assistive technology. She has over five years of professional experience in the disability-related field, but more than 20 years of personal experience. As a person with a physical disability, Megan Hart enjoys being involved in various efforts to empower individuals with disabilities.
Contact:
megan.hart@state.tn.us
615-313-5602
Jason McAlexander
Contact:
socal2@comcast.net
(H)615-973-2233,615-255-0283
Mark E. Montgomery
Contact:
memontgomery66@gmail.com
615-810-9283
Doria Panvini
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, education, family supports, government relations, outreach, research, and sibling issues.
Doria Panvini knows how important it is to develop meaningful services for people with disabilities. Almost 40 years has passed since her son was diagnosed with a developmental disability. Since then, she has been actively interested in the education and adult supports available to him and others. Panvini is active in The Arc of Tennessee, serves on the Board of Mid-TN Supported Living, and is a member of other committees and task forces focusing on employment and developing needed services.
Contact:
Robert.s.panvini@vanderbilt.edu
615-292-9122
Sharon Peters
Areas of Interest: Family supports, government relations, sibling issues.
As a sister of an adult with disabilities and a mother of an adult with disabilities, Sharon Peters understands the pleasures and frustrations of growing up with and raising someone who also has their frustrations and limitations, and who also have given people in their life joys and laughs.
Contact:
Sharon.peters@legislative.state.tn.us
615-741-2035
Ruth Roberts
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, government relations, research and sibling issues.
Having personal and professional experience in intellectual and developmental disabilities, Ruth Roberts is currently the Vice-Chair of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) and President of The Arc of Tennessee. She has worked in every venue of community services in multiple states and as a DMRS approved behavior analyst. Presently, Ruth Roberts is the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Training Coordinator at the University of Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities. Her personal experience stems from her relationship with her younger sister. Ruth Roberts's sister lived with her until recently when the sister moved into a home of her own and continues to work part-time for Starbucks. Academically Ruth Roberts have earned a BS and MA in Psychology with an emphasis on research and intellectual disabilities and a EdD in Special Education.
Contact:
rrobert8@utmem.edu
901-448-4644
Mary Ann Schenk
Areas of Interest:advocacy, adult Services, children’s services, education, family supports, outreach, and sibling issues
Mary Ann Schenk's sister, Jeanette, has a developmental disability. Mary Ann Schenk met her husband at a summer camp for youngsters with disabilities and his brother Jim.who had Down Syndrome lived with them for over twenty years. Her career has included teaching young children with developmental disabilities, creating programs that raise community awareness, promoting community inclusion and advocating for services and supports.
Contact:
maschenk@bellsouth.net
(H)423-877-3458
Janet Shouse
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, children's services, education, government relations, research, sibling issues.
Janet Shouse is the parent of three children, one of whom has autism. She serves as the Williamson County parent representative for the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee, and she is a member of the Disability Coalition on Education. Shouse also currently serves on the Developmental Disabilities Task Force, which was created by the General Assembly to propose a plan to provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities who do not have cognitive disabilities.
Contact:
janet@shouse.com
615-599-3132
Joyce Sievers
Areas of Interest: Adult services, family supports, and outreach.
A parent with a child with developmental disabilities, Joyce Sievers has been involved in the disability field for over 45 years. She is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking and is currently on the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities and an Advisory Council member for the Tennessee Disability Pathfinder. Since the inception of the program in 1993, Sievers coordinated the Family Support Program for 12 counties in the Upper Cumberland area for 15 years. She directed an art program for adults with developmental disabilities at Pacesetters, Inc., in Cookeville, Tennessee for six years. The program has resulted in numerous exhibitions at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, the Appalachian Center for Crafts, and locally. Individuals' work from the program are now in public and private collections across the country.
Contact:
jsievers@dtccom.net
615-597-1420
Tammy Vice
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, children's sevices, education, family supports, government relations,research, sibling issues, and educating faith communities.
Tammy is the parent of two girls. The youngest, age 14, is on the autism specturm. Tammy currently works for the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee as a parent representative. She is also a parent advocate trainee with Vanderbilt's MIND program 2007-2008.
Contact:
Tbvice@aol.com
(O)901-272-0059, 901-603-5864
Wanda Willis
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, government relations, research.
Wanda Willis was assigned to a special education classroom, purely by chance, for her junior year college internship. Today, she realizes how lucky she was to have been assigned that internship. Since then, she has worked in the disability field for 35 years, first as a special education teacher (her favorite and most memorable work), then as a school psychologist. She has held a variety of positions in community services for the Division of Mental Retardation services since moving to Tennessee in 1977, and also has been the executive director for the Council on Developmental Disabilities for the past 16 years.
Contact:
wanda.willis@state.tn.us
615-253-5369
Gail Williams
Contact:
gail.williams@vanderbilt.edu
615-322-4802
Derek Young
Derek Young is deeply committed to the community. He has been a board member, advisor or presenter for Girl Scouts, Edgehill Center, United Way, Trevecca Nazarene University, Boy Scouts, Bethlehem Center, YWCA, March of Dimes, Junior League, Martha O’Bryan Center, Easter Seals, the National Conference for Community and Justice, Tennessee State University, YMCA, Owen School of Business at Vanderbilt University, and many, many others.
Contact:
dyoung@bridgesacademynashville.org
(C)615-589-1063,615-322-4802
Jane Young
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, adult services, family supports, government relations, and research.
Jane Young's first experiences with developmental disabilities happened before the time when individuals were "mainstreamed" in educational settings. Her initial experience was tutoring a young man who attended private school, who would now be described as "high functioning". Later, she became a mental health consultant, interpreting diagnostic results for families. When "mainstreaming" began, Young worked at the local, state, and regional levels in helping Head Start programs to integrate children with developmental disabilities into their programs. The effort included training teachers, interpreting diagnostic results for families and helping local programs to identify and plan appropriate services. For the last seventeen years, Jane Young has helped caregivers of adults with developmental disabilities in keeping them safe from abuse/neglect and addressing the concerns of elderly and other family members in meeting their needs.
Contact:
jyoung@GNRC.org
615-862-8828
Ex-Officio Members
Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D.
Elise McMillan, J.D.
Roxanne Carreon