Leadership

Board of Directors

Rick Rader, MD,FAAIDD, DHL (Hon)
President of AAHD
Editor in chief, HELEN, The Journal of
Human Exceptionality
Director, Habilitation Center,
Orange Grove Center, Chattanooga, TN
VP Public Policy, American Academy of
Developmental Medicine and Dentistry

Theo W. Braddy, MSW
Executive Director, National Council on
Independent Living
Member, National Council on Disability
Washington, DC

Matt Holder, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Lee Specialty Clinic
Editorial Advisory Committee, HELEN,
The Journal of Human Exceptionality
Louisville, KY

Amy Houtrow, MD, MPH, Ph.D
Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
and Pediatrics Endowed Chair for Pediatric
Rehabilitation Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

Matthew P. Janicki, Ph.D
Associate Research Professor
Department of Disability and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Gary Liguori, Ph.D, FACSM
Chancellor and Dean, Penn State Abington
Editorial Advisory Committee, HELEN,
The Journal of Human Exceptionality
Abington, PA

Margaret (Maggie) Nygren, Ed.D., FAAIDD
Executive Director and CEO
American Association of Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
Silver Spring, MD

 

Devon Anderson, MS
Engagement Coordinator
301-545-6140 ext. 8
Email

Devon Anderson, MS (she/her/hers) has over a decade of nonprofit experience in both health/social services and education. Earning her Masters of Science in Higher Education in 2013 afforded her the opportunity to work alongside a variety of marginalized student populations – including those with disabilities – helping them access services and programs for their individual journeys to success. This ignited her passion for advocacy, engagement, and outreach. As a queer, disabled mother of three, she has strengthened her advocacy voice through both her grassroots work and work with national organizations like the ACLU and the Trevor Project. An accomplished writer across many genres, Devon also lends her talents to nonprofit organizations to help them with grantmaking and other fundraising endeavors, including the Ohio PrideBands and writes nationally on topics such as women’s health, parenting, disability justice, and queer issues. At AAHD, she leads and manages the planning and implementation of the Disability and Health Webinar Series, works on various fundraising endeavors, and is a regular blog contributor.

Karl Cooper, Esq.
Executive Director
301-545-6140 ext. 3
Email

Karl D. Cooper, Esq. (he/him) is an attorney and disability advocate. As a person with his own disabilities, he has spent most of his professional career addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities. Effective June 1, 2023, Karl was selected to be Executive Director of AAHD. Previously, he served as Director of Public Health Programs at AAHD, overseeing a number of projects which conduct outreach in the disability community to engage them in public health initiatives. He started at AAHD in October 2013, working as the Project Manager for the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC). Prior to moving to DC in 2012, he practiced law for 14 years in the greater Philadelphia area where he was able to devote time to pro-bono advocacy for those affected by physical and developmental disabilities. In addition to his work with AAHD, Karl is a member of NIH’s National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research. He is also an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) having served as the Chair of the Disability Section from 2020-2022, and currently he is the APHA Intersectional Council Chair and member of the APHA Executive Board. Karl received his law degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1997 and a BA in Communications/Political Science from Cedarville University in 1994.

Jacob Ditsch, OTD
Associate Director of Research and Knowledge Translation
301-545-6140 ext. 7
Email

Jacob Ditsch, OTD (he/him) serves as the Associate Director of Research & Knowledge Translation, a disability advocate, and researcher at the American Association on Health & Disability. Ditsch identifies as hard of hearing and has past experience with co-leading research and evaluation teams and has specific expertise in helping to present findings in accessible and readable ways to maximize the use and understanding of results.

Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, PhD
Director of Research
301-545-6140 ext. 5
Email

Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D. is the Director of Research at AAHD, a disability activist, and a two-time Paralympian. Prior to this role, she served as the Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living. She holds three degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a researcher, her primary area of work relates to disability identity development. She presents regularly at state, national, and international conferences and is author on numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters. As a wheelchair-user for over 40 years, Dr. Forber-Pratt is nationally and internationally recognized as a disability leader and mentor. She was a White House Champion of Change in 2013 and the American Psychological Association awarded her the 2020 Citizen Psychologist Award for Advancing Disability as a Human Rights and Social Justice Issue Award.

Nuria Piracha, MPH
Project Manager
301-545-6140 ext. 8
Email

Nuria has a Master’s in Public Health program and a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health from George Mason University. Professionally, she has worked within women, youth, and children’s health, with a focus on state-based plans, access to continuous and affordable healthcare coverage, and health policy advocacy. Nuria currently serves as the Project Manager for the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative project, along with support on the All of Us Research Program project.

Allison Poullard
Administrative Manager (Grants/Contracts)
301-545-6140 ext. 7
Email

Allison started with AAHD in November 2021 as the Grants and Contacts Manager. In her previous work, she served as a Senior Program Accounting Manager at a local nonprofit overseeing grant compliance for federal, state, local and private funding sources. She also has 7+ years of experience with billing, budget creation and modification, financial reporting, reconciliations and audit preparation. Allison received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland at College Park in Government and Politics with a minor in Agricultural Economics in 2009. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Western Governor’s University.

E. Clarke Ross, DPA
Public Policy Director
Email

Dr. E. Clarke Ross has worked over 50 years with six national mental health and disability organizations. Since December 2010, Clarke has worked as the public policy director for the American Association on Health and Disability. Clarke and AAHD have served since 2014 as the Washington Representative of the Lakeshore Foundation.  Between 2012-2023, each year, Clarke served on a variety of the National Quality Forum (NQF) committees. Clarke’s work history includes Chief Executive Officer of CHADD – Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy, NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness; Executive Director, American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association (AMBHA); Assistant Executive Director for Federal Relations and then Deputy Executive Director, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD); and Director of Governmental Activities, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). Clarke previously served as the Chair of the “Friends of NCBDDD” (National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities) at CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); then its Advocacy Coalition chair. Dr. Ross was a co-founder of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) in 1973. A former VISTA volunteer, from 1984-1986, Clarke worked as an Assistant Professor of Public Administration for Troy State University – European Region, headquartered in Weisbaden, Germany. Between 1983 and 2020, Dr. Ross served as an adjunct instructor of graduate public administration for Central Michigan University. Clarke served as a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine – Committee To Examine Strategies To Improve Access To Behavioral Health Care Services Through Medicare and Medicaid (July 2023-August 2024).

Michelle Sayles, MA 
Director of Communications
301-545-6140 ext. 6
Email

Michelle Sayles, MA (she/her) is a socially-engaged artist, advocate, organizer, peer support facilitator, researcher, and comms person. She graduated from McMaster University with a Master of Arts in Globalization Studies in 2018. Her graduate research explored the relationship between mental health, trauma studies, and climate change. Community outreach, engagement and arts-based media have been central to her work over the last decade + and integrated through previous positions at the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition and Clark University as well as collaborations with grassroots groups and organizations. At AAHD she leads our social media and communications strategy, digital media production, and accessibility team. Michelle was a participating artist in the graphic medicine comics anthology The Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont.

Maria Manolatos
Administrative Assistant
301-545-6140 ext. 4
Email