Citizen Members' Biographical Summaries
The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual
Disabilities
Citizen Members
November 2007
Dallas “Rob” Sweezy is President of Public Affairs Strategies/Healthcare(PAS), a comprehensive communications and government relations firm concentrating on health care issues. PAS clients include a pharmaceutical company, two management consulting/health IT companies, a marketing firm, a long-term care hospital/homehealth company, a Medicare Advantage Plan and an investment advisory firm. From 2001 to 2004, Rob served as the Director of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Supervising a staff of forty-four personnel, he managed the agency’s relations with the media, state and local governments, Native American tribes and provider and beneficiary outreach efforts. Mr. Sweezy directed communications and outreach for some of the Department’s top policy priorities such as the agency’s first national advertising campaign; the nursing home, home health and hospital Quality Initiatives; and the overall repositioning and branding of the agency’s image. He coordinated two nationwide media event tours with the heads of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Surgeon General to promote the benefits of MMA, the new Medicare modernization and reform program. CMS Administrator Tom Scully designated Mr. Sweezy as his key “Open Door” contact for home care and hospice care providers and for groups that work with individuals with disabilities who rely on Medicare and Medicaid services. He served as a CMS surrogate speaker to healthcare groups across the country.
Before joining CMS, Mr. Sweezy started Public Affairs Strategies, with clients ranging from telecommunications to agriculture. He previously served as Vice President of Golin/Harris, an international public relations firm. Mr. Sweezy led several successful crisis and litigation communications support efforts and provided public policy counsel to clients. He was also Director of State Government Relations and Public Affairs for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). He directed political communications and strategy for federal and state issues and created SCAN, the Shopping Center Action Network, ICSC’s member-based grassroots program.
During President George H. W. Bush’s Administration, Mr. Sweezy was Director of Legislative and Public Affairs for an Agriculture Department agency, managing day-to-day media, public relations and legislative strategy. He also served during President Ronald Reagan’s Administration at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and at the Commerce Department in the International Trade Administration where he helped develop third-party coalitions in support of the Caribbean Basin Initiative, Export Trading Companies and state-run Export-Import banks.
His career began as a campaign operative for U. S. Congressman Marvin Leath (D-TX 11) and Texas Governor Bill Clements (R) and he served on both campaigns for President Ronald Reagan including as Texas Political Director in the 1984 re-election effort.
Mr. Sweezy’s media relations skills are extensive. He has prepared officials for challenging appearances on major network, cable and radio news and public affairs programs. He has been interviewed by and developed controversial stories with newspaper reporters and editorial writers across the country, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune.
A native Texan, Mr. Sweezy received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Baylor University and has completed post-graduate studies in public policy and international business at George Washington University. He served on the board of directors for the Northern Virginia Parents of Down syndrome, a local advocacy group. He is the father of four children; Dallas, Austin, Carson and Madison. Mr. Sweezy can often be found with his hands covered in gardener’s dirt, his knees covered in Little League baseball clay or his face covered in actor’s grease paint.
Clay Aiken became an international sensation in the wake of his appearance on the hit television show, ‘American Idol.’ In spite of his growing stardom, Aiken has remained steadfast in his desire to remain true to the simple values he learned as a child in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I still live in the town where I grew up,” he says. “I like surrounding myself with people I know and love.” It is this authenticity that his millions of fans have responded to, an almost supernatural earnestness that feels unconventional in the cynical world of today.
While the accolades that followed his stunningly close second-place finish on the second season of American Idol have validated him in ways that he never could have dreamed of, it is the charitable work that his musical career has enabled him to do that means more to him than anything else these days.
Mr. Aiken created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation in 2003, an organization that promotes and funds educational and recreational programs for children with special needs. “I worked with Mike Bubel, who has autism, when I was going to school at UNCC,” says Mr. Aiken. “His mother was very instrumental in encouraging me to get into this business.” The Foundation remains close to the singer’s heart at all times. “My music career has allowed me to do the same thing I was doing before—work with kids with disabilities,” he says. “It has given me a big stage to talk about the same things I always cared about. I don’t get to be as hands-on with the kids anymore, but I do get to work toward enacting change on a much larger scale.”
Also important to Mr. Aiken’s life as a humanitarian is his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Since 2005, the singer has been passionately committed to supporting the organization’s education programs. Not only has Mr. Aiken testified before Congress urging the government to allocate more funds for UNICEF’s global work for children, he has also traveled to Indonesia and Uganda to see the devastating conditions affecting millions of the world’s children first-hand—disease, malnutrition, kidnapping, and war, chief among them. “You just cannot believe how some of these kids are forced to live,” says Mr. Aiken. “It’s truly heartbreaking, yet many people don’t even know these conditions exist. I am hoping to shed light on some of these problems and so that more resources can be allocated to help make things better.”
Mr. Aiken’s upcoming album A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS expresses the many different kinds of love in the world, including his deep love for his fellow man, particularly the littlest ones among us. Where did such a driving need to help others come from? “The need for help!” he answers matter-of-factly. “You know, my mother has always been someone who urged me to help people in need. Maybe that’s it. I don’t think it’s something you can learn. It’s just something you do.”
A native Texan, Ricardo Barraza graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Texas El Paso in 1981 and graduated with a Master of Science degree in applied behavior analysis from the University of Texas Arlington in 1985.
Mr. Barraza’s first venture into the field of mental retardation was as a member of the direct care staff at the El Paso State Center during his undergraduate years. Progressing up the ladder, Mr. Barraza eventually developed the first private residential alternative for people with mental retardation in El Paso. Mr. Barraza was the owner and operator of New Avenues of Hope and Torch of Hope, which operated Intermediary Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICFMR) and community based waiver services in El Paso and northern Los Angeles from 1984 to 1999. Mr. Barraza eventually retired from service provision in 1999.
His years of volunteer service include serving on the board of the Arc of El Paso, the board of The Arc of Texas, The foundation board for the Arc of Texas, the Advisory Council to the Texas Rehabilitation Council, the MR Advisory Council to the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the Citizens Planning and Advisory Council for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, vice president of the Texas Association of Private Providers, founding director of the Texas Society of Qualified Mental Retardation Professionals, Task Force on Texas Medicaid Managed Care, and the for transitional team for Life Management Center in El Paso. Other volunteer activities include serving as a board member for the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts and the foundation board of the El Paso Community College
His passion for promoting state of the art, progressive service delivery comes from a desire to serve those in the intellectual disabilities community. Each citizen is responsible for making a contribution that is not necessarily directly tied to self interest.
A self described born again Italian, Mr. Barraza’s interests include coffee, Italian wine food and culture. A graduate of the Lavazza School of coffee in New York, he presently operates a family owned Italian wine importation and distribution company.
Valerie Billmire is currently serving as chair of the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council. She was appointed to the council 5 years ago by the then-Governor of Utah, Michael O. Leavitt, and has served as Chair for the past two years. Before getting involved with the disability community she was a director for the Salt Lake Valley Health Department Bureau of Health Promotion and Education. She holds an undergraduate degree from Weber State University in Sociology and a graduate degree from the University of Utah in Health Education. For the past eight years she has been a stay at home mom – i.e. domestic goddess!
She is married with three children 14, 10 & 4. Her 14 year old son is typical and her 4 year old daughter is adopted from China. Her 10 year son decided to skip the last trimester of pregnancy and was born 13 weeks premature and very, very sick. He is now a healthy, happy kid who has cerebral palsy. Her head first jump into disability issues comes from her desire to make sure her son has every opportunity to experience anything he wants to do without prejudice or discrimination. Valerie originally learned about the laws and local resources just for her own knowledge, but soon became a community resource that was created by word of mouth.
Her passions are the People First movement and educating people without disabilities about the myths and misconceptions of people with disabilities. Her very supportive husband has been known to give her the “that’s enough about disabilities" eyeball at many a dinner party. She is looking forward to serving on the President’s Committee, meeting new people and talking all day long about issues and solutions concerning people with developmental disabilities.
James M. Boles , President and CEO of People Inc., started working for the agency in 1981 overseeing the small human service agency with 200 staff and a budget of $2 million. Dr. Boles currently is responsible for the overall administration of the health and human services agency that serves people with disabilities, children, seniors and their families. Since he began working for People Inc., the agency has grown to over 2,000 staff serving more than 10,000 individuals and operates on an annual budget of $75 million. Dr. Boles attended Columbia University in New York to earn both his Doctor of Education and Masters of Education. Prior to that, he attended Goddard College in Vermont to obtain his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. He currently serves as a member on the New York State Advisory Council on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, and is a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. In addition, he is a member of the National Conference of Executives of Associations for Retarded Citizens, the New York State Rehabilitations Association, Inc., and the National Rehabilitation Association. He has a strong interest in the history of disability services and founded the Museum of disABILITY History, located in Amherst, NY.
William J. Edwards is a Deputy Public Defender with the Los Angeles Public Defenders Office, and has served in that position since 2001. Since 1996, Mr. Edwards has specialized in the representation of people with mental retardation/developmental disabilities in the criminal justice system.
Prior to working in Los Angeles, Mr. Edwards worked with the office of the Public Defender in San Diego and Riverside County, California. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Edwards worked as a staff attorney for the Office of the Capital Collateral Counsel in Tallahassee, Florida. Mr. Edwards represented inmates under sentence of death in state and federal court.
Since 1996, Mr. Edwards has represented inmates with mental retardation or mental illness on death row, pro bono, nationwide, including inmates in Texas, Nebraska, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. For three years, Mr. Edwards served as one of the amicus attorneys for Johnny Paul Penry, an inmate with mental retardation on death row in Texas. In Penry v. Johnson 532 US 782 (2001), a landmark Supreme Court case, Mr. Edwards and other amicus attorneys argued that the execution of people with mental retardation violates both national and international law.
Mr. Edwards has authored numerous articles on the subject of people with mental retardation in the criminal justice system. One of his publications was cited by the United States Supreme Court in Atkins v. Virginia 526 US 304 (2002). Prior to the United States Supreme Court decision banning the execution of people with mental retardation, he consulted with and testified before many state governmental legislative bodies regarding the problems people with mental retardation face while in the criminal justice system. At the request of Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Edwards wrote a training Manual for attorneys who represent people with mental retardation, a manual which is used across the United States and in other countries, including Australia. In 2002, Mr. Edwards was asked to serve on the faculty of the National Academy for Equal Justice for People with Developmental Disabilities at Temple University.
During 1997-1999, Mr. Edwards was honored with the Rosemary F. Dybwad International Fellowship, sponsored by the National Association of Retarded Citizens.
My name is Casey O’Halloran. I am 25 years old, and I live in my own apartment in North Fort Myers, Florida. After graduation from North Fort Myers High School in 2001, I became a permanent part-time employee at the Lee County Court House. I work Monday through Friday, 25 hours each week in five different departments. I am a clerical assistant. My work includes picking up mail, opening it, delivering files, copying, and running files to the Judges. I also meter the mail and get it out at the end of the day.
I do not drive a car, but I know how to use the bus system, so I can travel by myself to work and to do fun things like go to the mall.
I am the CEO of Casey Enterprises. I have just started this micro enterprise. My mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate other individuals with disabilities to become more independent. I give seminars, and I have made a video to help do this.
Last year I became an Eagle Scout so during my free time I am an assistant Scout Master. I also work out at the gym and write poetry and country songs.
I have a mom and dad, two brothers, a sister-in-law, two loving nieces (and one more on the way), and a nana. We get together for pizza nights and lots of other fun times.
I am so happy to be on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. What an honor.
Linda Hampton Starnes is an individual who has spent her life actively involved in the disability community – as a student, teacher, parent and advocate. Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, she has lived in Dallas, Boston, Washington D.C., and currently resides in Orlando, Florida.
Mrs. Starnes received dual undergraduate degrees in both Special and Elementary Education at the University of Tennessee in 1982. In 1994, her graduate studies at Georgetown University earned her a certification in Training and Development.
Her teaching career began in 1982, working with students with exceptional needs and their teachers. Over the course of six years she worked with kindergarten through high school students, in both Tennessee and Texas. Mrs. Starnes had the unique experience of implementing several groundbreaking programs in the early 1980s, related to inclusion of students with disabilities. Her work was highlighted in a state training film for teachers in Texas.
New opportunities took Mrs. Starnes to Boston to work within higher education and government circles. After a year at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, she moved to Washington to serve as Confidential Assistant to Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, during the tenures of President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush. Three years later, she moved to the Department of Education as Special Assistant during Secretary Lamar Alexander’s tenure.
In 1993, however, Mrs. Starnes began her most rewarding work, as a mother of two children with significant disability concerns. She has since been a devoted volunteer and activist within the disability community.
As a parent who knows first-hand how families battle “in the trenches” for their children, Mrs. Starnes has supervised a special household for more than thirteen years, which required a new set of skills. She has managed over 250 home care nurses, worked with physicians in fifteen medical specialty areas, scheduled and maintained multiple therapy-related activities, and has overseen over 40 surgical procedures or hospitalizations for her children. She has continuously advocated for appropriate inclusive education services at five public schools, and in multiple community, recreational and religious settings on behalf of her children.
During all of her adult life, Mrs. Starnes has been a constant volunteer in the community. She has been a board member for a variety of local and regional disability-related nonprofits, and organizations concerned with issues of women and children. She has also served on numerous boards within the Fairfax County, Virginia and Seminole County, Florida public schools systems.
Her volunteer work on behalf of persons with disability also extends to the faith community. In 1997, Mrs. Starnes was part of the founding team for Access Ministry within McLean Bible Church in Virginia. This program has developed into one of the largest ministries in the country devoted to welcoming and including persons with disabilities. Currently, she is working to start the Northland Church/Central Florida Coalition on Religion and Disability, bringing together area churches, nonprofits and lay volunteers across central Florida. This group is dedicated to encouraging and supporting members toward their goals for increasing the inclusion of persons with disabilities within the community at large, and specifically within the religious setting.
Linda Hampton Starnes resides in Longwood, Florida with her husband of twenty-two years and childhood sweetheart, Tom Starnes. Together they are raising two wonderful children – Emily, age thirteen, and Mac, age eleven. This past spring, the Starnes family received the “2006 Family Connections Award” for “encouraging connections within the disability family throughout central Florida. “
Harris Hollin served as a combat officer in the Korean War and was awarded a Bronze Star. He subsequently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
He has been personally and profoundly touched by his grandson, Matthew, who is fully affected by Fragile X Syndrome, the most common cause of genetically-inherited intellectual impairment. His strong desire to help Matthew and the thousands of other children and adults with Fragile X Syndrome caused him to found Conquer Fragile X Foundation (CFXF) in 1999. CFXF is a non-profit foundation dedicated to finding a cure or treatment for Fragile X. Over the past seven years the foundation has funded scientific research all over the world, facilitated information and resource sharing among scientists and supported collaborative work among the world’s premier research labs in order to advance the scientific body of knowledge about Fragile X, its causes and potential treatments.
Mr. Hollin’s business career includes building a pharmaceutical company, Lemmon, into what is now the United States division of TEVA Pharmaceuticals. He also served as the President of the Revlon Corporation’s International Pharmaceutical Division.
Mr. Hollin has numerous public service endeavors to his credit, including his service as vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, an associate trusteeship of the University of Pennsylvania, a director emeritus of the Wistar Institute and a member of the board of overseers of the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania. Harris also serves as and advisory board member for the Center on Aging and Health at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, and on the advisory board of the Fragile X Newborn Screening Program at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina.
He is the author of The Power of Honor, a memoir motivated by his interest in Fragile X. He is a co-author of Christmas in July, a book about the last major battle of the Korean War.
He has three sons and eight grandchildren. He and his wife, Sandra, have been married for nearly 52 years.
Stephanie Preshong Brown is an advocate for individuals with disabilities. The birth of her daughter, Jordan, coinciding with the loss of Jordan’s identical twin sister, Sydney, transcended her into a world of challenges far beyond those traditionally experienced. Stephanie wishes to facilitate a systemic change for all individuals with disabilities to ensure they reach their full potential and live their American Dream. To that end, a paradigm shift is needed to create a shared vision that will implement an infrastructure that truly meets the diverse needs of all individuals.
She was honored to be nominated to the Martin County School District’s Least Restrictive Environment Committee, utilizing the No Child Left Behind Act’s strong accountability system to implement a continuum of inclusionary practices, supports and services so that all students, with and without disabilities, are actively learning in an enriched educational environment. Furthermore, she was invited to participate in the State of Florida Developmental Disabilities Partners in Policymaking program and is a 2005 graduate.
As an advocate for children, Stephanie served as a member of the board that brought the Treasure Coast Children’s Museum to fruition. Additionally, she is a member of the Exceptional Student Education Parent Advisory Council, Elementary Student Advisory Council, Junior Achievement volunteer, and an active PTA board member.
Stephanie’s formal education includes a Masters in Business Administration and a Baccalaureate of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University. She and her husband, David, reside with their children in Florida.
Thomas J. Reilly is a retired automotive industry executive who, since his retirement, has dedicated his time to the development of residential living and care facilities for mentally challenged adults in his community.
Mr. Reilly is married, has five adult children and resides in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. His oldest son, TJ, was born with Down syndrome and has been the inspiration for his enduring dedication to the enhancement of the lives of the mentally and physically challenged.
Mr. Reilly served as the first president of Dayspring Homes (www.dayspringhomes.org), a network of full service residential and respite care facilities for mentally challenged adults. Under his six years of leadership, five homes in and around the city of Reading, Pennsylvania have been designed, funded, staffed and operated. These homes are noted for their personalized approach to care giving and, until recently, had been developed without public funding of any kind.
For nine years, Mr. Reilly served on the board of directors of Threshold Rehabilitation Services, Inc. (www.trsinc.org), a non profit provider of employment training, behavioral health and community support services for mentally, physically and emotionally challenged adults. Threshold provides assistance to approximately 700 individuals each year in the greater Reading area. Mr. Reilly served as vice chairman of the board for three years and as interim president for one year.
Mr. Reilly has coached people with intellectual disabilities in softball and basketball. He has also encouraged and trained countless individuals for participation in the Special Olympics.
Mr. Reilly is a Navy veteran and was educated at the City College of New York and Duquesne University.
Steven C. Rhatigan has been in the financial and estate planning profession since 1978. In 1980 he began working with the special needs community as a respite volunteer. He was soon an enthusiastic advocate for issues dealing with special needs individuals and helped build a national organization, Estate Planning for Persons with Disabilities, and was a founding member of the National Institute for Life Planning. He now devotes his energies to helping families understand and cope with the long term care and finances of their children with lifetime special needs. In an average year, he meets with four to six hundred families and develops one hundred and fifty life plans.
Mr. Rhatigan is a Chartered Lifetime Assistance Planner and a Certified Estate Planner. He presents 30 to 40 seminars a year to professional and parent support groups to educate them on the unique planning needs of this population. He also works closely with many school districts, medical providers and governmental agencies to support their unique place in the lives of special needs individuals.
He is a consultant to many private residential communities serving this population. In Texas his clients are: The Brookwood Community, Marbridge, Breckenridge Village, Methodist Mission Home, Hope Village and the Village at Stony Glen. Additionally, he has served on numerous local and statewide disabilities related boards.
He has served as president of The Mental Health Association of Houston; was appointed to the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Advisory Board; is a past president of the Houston Association of Insurance and Financial Professionals, and chaired the Texas PASS Network.
Mr. Rhatigan has been married to his Texas bride, Sharon, for 30 years and has two grown children, Sarah, who resides in New York City, and Sean, who resides in Boulder, Colorado.
More information on Mr. Rhatigan’s mission is available at Stemark.com.
Considered among the nation’s leading authorities in the field of media and public advocacy, Neil Romano has spent the past twenty years working on some of the largest and most successful health information programs in the United States.
In the mid 1980s, Mr. Romano worked in the Reagan administration where he was involved with, among others, the Just Say No program and, the America Responds to AIDS program with then Surgeon General C. Evert Koop.
In the late 1980s, he started Romano & Associates, where he developed and helped administer dozens of significant national information programs. Among these programs was the National Spit Tobacco Program (NSTEP), which he developed in conjunction with Oral Health America.
In 2003, Mr. Romano founded America’s Strength, a private organization designed to help people with disabilities find main stream employment. In 2006, Americas Strength and the University of Massachusetts published a significant article about the public’s attitudes toward people with disabilities in the workplace in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Mr. Romano owns The Romano Group, a multi- media production and consulting company in Maryland where he lives with his wife of seventeen years, Barbara, and his daughters, Bianca and Christina.
Dr. Sharp-Pucci is the founder and Managing Member of Sharp Health Strategies LLC, which provides a line of clinical research and analytic services to the health care industry. MaryMargaret is an epidemiologist and senior healthcare analyst with over 25 years of healthcare experience.
MaryMargaret established and served as Executive Director of the Center on Clinical Effectiveness at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. In this role, she directed the outcomes research program and benchmarking strategy that supported clinical quality improvement. Also at LUMC, MaryMargaret served as Associate Director of the Burn & Shock Trauma Institute where she conducted research in rehabilitation outcomes and health services utilization. Here she directed overall strategy for clinical trials in trauma & burns. MaryMargaret is also the former Associate Director of the Technology Evaluation Center at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Her work focused on trauma, wound healing and rehabilitation, and the development of research initiatives in disease management. She served as an appointee of the Medicare Coverage Advisory Panel which advises the federal government on the utility of specific medical services.
Dr. Sharp-Pucci’s academic background has included research and teaching affiliations with Loyola University Medical Center, The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington DC, The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, The University of Virginia Medical College and Boston University. She is a scientific peer reviewer for the Journal of Burn Care & Research and has served in the same capacity for a number of federal granting agencies such as the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).
Locally, Dr. Sharp-Pucci donates her time to the Central DuPage Hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB) in Winfield, Illinois which protects the rights and welfare of patients participating in medical research, and Home Care Physicians, an award-winning medical house call program for the homebound in Wheaton, Illinois. She is also a board member for Community Nursing Services, Home Health and Hospice in Carol Stream, Illinois.
Dr. Sharp-Pucci is the current President of the Board of Directors and chairs the Planning & Quality Improvement committee for the Anixter Center, one of the largest providers of rehabilitation and community integration services in the state of Illinois. The Anixter Center serves individuals with a range of disabilities including intellectual disabilities.
In addition, MaryMargaret is a health club instructor who teaches classes in cycling, yoga and Zen meditation.
Steve Suroviec has been Executive Director of The Arc of Pennsylvania since November 2003. The Arc of Pennsylvania is a statewide nonprofit, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that provides advocacy and resources for citizens with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc of Pennsylvania is affiliated with The Arc of the United States and 38 local chapters of The Arc across Pennsylvania.
Before joining The Arc, Mr. Suroviec was Human Services Director for Erie County, Pennsylvania, overseeing MH/MR, Children & Youth, and Drug & Alcohol Abuse programs. Prior to that, Mr. Suroviec was in state government, serving as Deputy Secretary for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention and Policy Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He also served in the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare as an Executive Policy Specialist, working on disability and long-term care issues. Mr. Suroviec chaired then-Governor Tom Ridge’s Disability Policy Team from 1995 to 1999. Prior to state government, Mr. Suroviec served four years in Washington, D.C. as a Legislative Assistant for then-Congressman Tom Ridge.
Mr. Suroviec holds a Master’s Degree in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from National University, California. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1984 to 1988 and is a graduate of Fort LeBoeuf High School, Waterford, Pennsylvania.
He currently resides in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania with his wife Sherry.
William E Tienken is First Vice President of Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Chicago. Stifel Nicolaus is a 117 year old full service investment Firm based in St Louis with over 90 offices in the United States. Mr. Tienken takes a disciplined approach, working comprehensively with client’s Wealth Management plans. These plans often include those who need to provide for their special needs family members. He also works with companies developing 401k pension plans, works with Endowments and Charities to develop investment policies and implement the investment plans for future growth to meet their goals.
Mr. Tienken currently serves on the State of Illinois Compensation Review Board. The Board reviews the salaries of State Employees not covered by collective bargaining agreements. He is in his second appointed term.
Mr. Tienken is currently a member of the Investment Committee of the Scottish Rite of Chicago and the Chicago fund raising chairman for its 32 Degree Masonic Learning Centers for Children Inc. These learning centers are the nation’s only totally free dyslexia remediation program. Most students complete the program in 2-3 years having attained or closely approached peer level reading ability.
Mr. Tienken lives in Clarendon Hills, Illinois with his wife, Lisa, and their three children, Emily, John and Nicholas. Emily, the oldest, has multiple special needs and attends her local High School. She has a special place in her brothers’ hearts for her struggles and constant good cheer.
Mr. Tienken is a graduate of Lynchburg College, Lynchburg Virginia with a BA in Political Science-History. He remains active in local and national civic issues.
Carmela Vargas Gonzales was born and raised in the northern New Mexico community of Taos, where she grew up with her parents, one brother, and three sisters. Her oldest sister Cecilia (Cissy) was born with Down syndrome. She witnessed her parents raising her sister with much care, love, and as normal as any other sibling. Cissy continues to teach people about understanding, sensitivity, and patience. She learned at an early age from her sister and parents how all people ought to be treated. This was one reason she became an educator.
Mrs. Vargas Gonzales graduated from Taos High School in 1986 and moved to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education with a minor in special education and social studies in 1993. In 1994, she received her certification to teach special education. Mrs. Vargas Gonzales began her teaching career in 1993 in a special education classroom for the Albuquerque Public School District where she still works today. She helped to develop and implement a successful full inclusion program for students with special needs to receive services in the regular education environment while maintaining their confidentiality.
Mrs. Vargas Gonzales has taught for the past thirteen years and has been fully committed to collaboration with staff, parents, and students to improve the quality of education for all students. She has a love of learning and helping students to reach their full potential and achieve success at both school and home. She is committed to improving student outcomes, the quality of services, and the quality of life for all students.
In April of 2000, the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce presented Mrs. Vargas Gonzales with the Crystal Apple Award. She was selected as an outstanding teacher who enhanced the class curriculum through community involvement, experiential learning techniques, relevancy of learning to life skills and work environment.
Carmela Vargas Gonzales resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband Mark Gonzales and their two sons, Isaac, age ten, and Matthew, age eight. She is currently in the process of relocating back to Taos, New Mexico.
Sharman Word Dennis has postgraduate studies in special education from George Washington University, a Master of Arts degree in education – specializing in special education – from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts. She is considered one of the foremost experts on Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) for persons with developmental disabilities and other special needs.
She has extensive knowledge, expertise and experience working with adults and youth in residential facilities. She was instrumental in developing and providing oversight for the District of Columbia Early Intervention Program for infants and toddlers with special needs which was the lead for the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part H (now Part C).
She has served on numerous committees in the District of Columbia that focus on the needs of persons with disabilities and health issues, e.g. Developmental Disabilities State Planning Council, Mayor’s Health Policy Committee, the Special Education State Advisory Board, Medical Care Advisory Committee (oversight for DC Medicaid) and co-chair of Area Health Education Center (funded by HRSA). She has received awards for her work from the Medical Society of the District of Columbia, the Mayor’s Committee on Persons with Disabilities and a Letter of Commendation from former Mayor Kelly.
She is the CEO of ROSE, Inc., formed in 1994, which is minority female-owned and operated, to provide support to human service systems in the areas of training, direct services, outreach, policy development, management, needs assessments, consumer surveys, audits, evaluation and marketing. Clients of ROSE, Inc. include United Planning Organization Head Start, Nation’s Capitol Child and Family Division Head Start, DC Department of Health, Health and Human Services/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Health Right, Inc, Chartered Health Plan, Advantage Health Plan, Practice Management Consulting, LLC, TFG of Jackson, MS, the National Coalition of Pastors’ Spouses and Mississippi Association of Community Action Agencies.
Sharman grew up in Washington, DC and attended parochial school. She currently resides in Silver Spring, MD.