AREAS OF INTEREST
GRANTSModel Comprehensive Transition and Post-Secondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID), UIC Certificate in Co-Operative Career Experience, Co-PI
UIC AHS Interdisciplinary Pilot Grant, Lead On: Leadership & Women with Disabilities in Government, Primary Investigator ACL/NIDILRR DRRP, Promoting Entrepreneurship Among Low-Income Youth with Disabilities, Co-Investigator Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, MENstrual Symptom TRacking to Understand and Assess Living with CF (MENSTRUAL), Co-Investigator WORKDirector, Disability Legal Studies Program
Clinical Assistant Professor (July 2017 - 2022) Department of Disability & Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago. Postdoctoral Research Associate (July, 2015 - June, 2017) Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Education for People with Disabilities (CEED) project. Postdoctoral Research Associate (September, 2014 – June, 2015) Translational & Transformational Research to Improve Outcomes for Persons with Disabilities Training Program working on the Ligas Consent Decree implementation evaluation project. Research Specialist (Nov. 2012 – August, 2014) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network Knowledge Translation Center (ADA KT Center), Project 2: Increasing the Use of ADA Related Research Editorial Coordinator (Nov. 2011 – August 2014) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Project Coordinator (July 2010 – July 2012) Participation Through Innovation Graduate Research Assistant (September 2008 – June 2010) Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities (RRTC/ADD) Analyst (March 2008 – August 2008) Research Pros Inc. Staff Assistant (September 2004 – June 2005) Institute for Mental Health Initiatives (IMHI), The George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services EDUCATIONUNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO ('14)
Doctoral Candidate, Disability Studies Dissertation: “By the Bootstraps: People with Intellectual Disabilities and the Reification of Success in Social Entrepreneurship” Advisor: Sarah Parker Harris, PhD, Assistant Professor, Disability & Human Development UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ('07) Masters of the Arts Program in the Social Sciences M.A. thesis: “Care Machines: A Qualitative Analysis of Families of Children with Intellectual Disabilities” Advisor: Peter J. Smith, MA, MD, Assistant Professor, Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics COLBY COLLEGE ('04) Bachelor of Arts in Psychology B.A. thesis I: “The Buddy Study: An Examination of College Students’ Attitudes Towards Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities” B.A. thesis II: “Pain: A Multidimensional Approach” Advisor: Joseph E. Atkins, PhD, Assistant Professor, Cognitive Science |
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONSSERVICEDisability Division Co-Chair, Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), (2019-2021).
Chicago Mayoral Task Force on Employment and Economic Opportunity for People with Disabilities (2017-2018). Chair of the Priority 1 Working Group on Encouraging Economic Development through Entrepreneurship. Financial Advisory Council for the Empowerment of people with Disabilities (F.A.C.E.D), a joint effort by the Chicago MOPD and the City Treasurer’s Office (2017). Society for Disability Studies (SDS) Board Member (2016-2017) The White House Summit on the United State of Women (2016) Participating in the Entrepreneurship Solutions Seminar, representing women entrepreneurs with disabilities. National Task Force on Workforce Development and Employability for People with Disabilities (2016) Advisor for the Subcommittee on Entrepreneurship, Tax Incentives & Procurement (2016). The task force is being conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED) initiative, along with the Council of State Governments (CSG), in partnership with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Community Consulting (2010 – 2017) Consult with community organizations, service providers, individuals with disabilities and family members interested in entrepreneurship. Provided information and helped connect them with resources for further information and technical assistance. Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities Executive Committee (2013 – 2014) Student Advisory Committee Chair (2013 – 2014) Disability Studies Student Council President (2010 – 2011) Student Life Chair (2008 – 2010) PTI Workshop Planning (October, 2011) Planned and implemented a community workshop event for social entrepreneurs with disabilities. Chicago Disability Pride Parade (2009 & 2010) Responsible for planning the involvement of the Department of Disability & Human Development, the Institute on Disability & Human Development, the Great Lakes ADA Center, and the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This city-wide event is organized in cooperation with the Disability Pride Parade Planning Committee, composed of grass-roots volunteers from various disability-related organizations and affiliations. AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCYCentre International d'Etudes Françaises (CIEF)
Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France, 2000 Fluent in Philadelphian & Delco Proficient in DC-Policy Wonk Proficient in Midwestern-Chicago dialects |