AUCD Announces Next Executive Director
August 22, 2013
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The Board of Directors of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is pleased to announce the selection of Andrew J. Imparato as the next Executive Director of the Association. Mr. Imparato succeeds George Jesien who will be retiring after successfully leading the organization for the past fourteen years.
Dr. Julie Fodor from the University of Idaho, Board President and Chair of the Search Committee, said, "Andy is an impressive leader with energy and vision. He comes to us with more than two decades of experience in disability policy and advocacy. He is a proponent of diversity at all levels and clearly understands the challenges and opportunities that lay before our network and the nation. Andy's enthusiasm, knowledge, and abilities show promise to both support and enhance the work of the association and the network as we move forward."
Mr. Imparato's perspective and passion is informed not only through his professional career but also through his own experience with bipolar disorder. Imparato comes to AUCD from the position of Senior Counsel and Disability Policy Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. In the last two and a half years, Imparato has been the lead staffer for Chairman Harkin's effort to reauthorize the Rehabilitation Act as part of the Workforce Investment Act; to expand the number of people with disabilities working in integrated, competitive employment; to improve accessibility of taxicabs, movie theaters, airplanes, and electronic and information technology; and to improve transition outcomes for the generation of young people with disabilities who have come of age since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Previous positions include President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S. Prior to joining AAPD, Imparato was General Counsel and Director of Policy for the National Council on Disability, an attorney advisor with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, and a staff attorney with the Disability Law Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Imparato has been widely recognized for his leadership and advocacy. In 2005, he was named one of "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). His work has been recognized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Transportation, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. In 2012, AUCD awarded him the Gold Star Award, presented to a Capitol Hill staffer who exemplifies a true partnership in crafting strong public policy in collaboration with AUCD and the greater disability community.
Imparato graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School and is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale College. He and his wife Betsy Nix live in Baltimore and have two sons, ages 19 and 14. He begins his new position on September 30th.
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), located in Silver Spring, MD, promotes and supports a national network of interdisciplinary centers on disabilities. The members of AUCD represent every U.S. state and territory. AUCD and its members work to advance policy and practice through research, education, leadership, and services for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.
