AUCD - Plenary B: Conversation with our Federal Partners
<< Back to ProgramTuesday, December 4, 2012 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Location: Columbia 5-8
Session Description
This plenary will feature officials from Administration leaders who oversee Federal disability programs discussing recent initiatives, accomplishments, and future goals. Officials from the White House and the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor have been invited.
Kathy Greenlee, JD
Administrator, Administration for Community Living and Assistant Secretary for Aging
Kathy Greenlee serves in the dual roles of Administrator of the Administration for Community Living and Assistant Secretary for Aging. She was appointed by President Obama as Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and confirmed by the Senate in June 2009. Kathy served as Secretary of Aging in Kansas, and before that as the Kansas State Long Term Care Ombudsman. She also served as the General Counsel of the Kansas Insurance Department and served as Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations for then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Kathy is a graduate of the University of Kansas with degrees in business administration and law.
Michael K. Yudin, JD
Acting Assistant Secretary: OSERS, Department of Education
Michael Yudin is the Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Prior to assuming this role, Michael has served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) where he helped lead policy development and operations of all grant programs administered by OESE designed to promote academic excellence and ensure equitable opportunities for educationally disadvantaged students. Prior to joining the Department, Michael spent nine years in the US Senate and served as an attorney at the Social Security Administration and at the US Department of Labor for nearly ten years. He also briefly worked on the policy staff of The Arc of the United States and was a member of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.
Michael Strautmanis, JD
Deputy Assistant to the President
Michael Strautmanis is the Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor for Strategic Engagement to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. In this role, Michael is responsible for coordinating communication and engagement strategies. Formerly, Michael was the Chief of Staff to the Senior Advisor for the offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. Prior to his time with the President, Michael practiced complex litigation and employment law in Chicago at Sidley Austin. He then also joined the Clinton Administration as Chief of Staff to the General Counsel at the United States Agency for International Development. Michael is also a strong advocate for his son with autism.
Kathleen Martinez
Assistant Secretary: US Department of Labor
Kathy Martinez was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the third Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy and was confirmed by the US Senate on June 25, 2009. As head of the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Kathy advises the Secretary of Labor and works with all DOL agencies to lead a comprehensive and coordinated national policy regarding the employment of people with disabilities. Blind since birth, Kathy comes to ODEP with a background as an internationally recognized disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity, and gender issues.
Charlie Lakin, PhD
Director: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Charlie was appointed the new director of NIDRR in 2011, bringing more than 40 years of experience as a teacher, researcher, consultant, and advocate in services for people with disabilities. At NIDRR, Charlie works to generate new knowledge to maximize the full inclusion, social integration, employment, and independent living of individuals of all ages with disabilities through research in employment, participation and community living, health and function, and technology. As the NIDRR Director, Charlie also chairs the Interagency Committee on Disability Research. Previously, Charlie was the director of the University of Minnesota's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living, in the Institute on Community Integration.