Kim Knackstedt is the Executive Director of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and brings nearly two decades of accessibility and disability policy experience to her work. She brings experience as a person with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and chronic illnesses to her accessibility and policy perspectives.

Prior to her work at AUCD, Kim was the principal consultant and founder of her disability and accessibility strategy consulting firm, Unlock Access, LLC. Kim’s previous work includes being appointed as the first ever director of disability policy for the Domestic Policy Council for the Biden–Harris Administration, serving as the disability policy advisor for Chairman Bobby Scott on in the U.S. House of Representatives, working as the senior disability policy advisor for Senator Patty Murray in the U.S. Senate, and being selected as the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow.

Kim received her Bachelor of Education in special education and elementary education from Gonzaga University, Master of Science in Education in special education from the University of Kansas, and Ph.D. in special education and policy from the University of Kansas. Kim lives in Washington, DC with her husband, corgi, and cat. She and her corgi compete in agility and adventure in national parks.

Visual Description: Professional portrait of a Kim Knackstedt, a white woman with a light-colored blazer over a dark top, seated against a plain light background.