Staff

Image Description: Headshot photo of John Tschida, a smiling man with glasses, graying brown hair and goatee, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and red and blue patterned tie.

John Tschida, MPP, is the executive director of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). He has spent more than 20 years using data and research to drive policy change and service development for individuals with disabilities. Before joining AUCD in February of 2017 as associate executive di... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: AUCD Conference & Meeting Registrations, Membership Dues, Posting Employment Opportunities

Image Description: Photo of Gwendolyn E. Clark, a woman looking at camera and wearing glasses and a shirt, both of which are black.

Gwendolyn E. Clark is the Administrative Specialist with AUCD who assists and coordinates office activities related to the internal and external management and operation of the Association and its network of University Centers and Programs. She provides support to the Executive Director, Senior Director, Operations & Development, Manager of Human Reso... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Sexual and Reproductive Health, Capacity Building, Health Promotion, Technical Assistance

Tanisha Clarke, MPH, is the Senior Manager of Disability and Public Health at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). She manages public health projects and capacity development activities for the National Center on Disability in Public Health. Tanisha leads national initiatives and provides technical assistance for participating sites including the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental a... READ MORE >

Image Description: Photo of Caitlyn Conklin, a smiling woman with brown hair sitting at a desk while using a computer keyboard.

Caitlyn Conklin is the Association of University Centers on Disabilities' Operations and Meetings Assistant. She provides administrative, logistical, and client support for the AUCD network, teams, and other stakeholders.

Caitlyn has had many life-enriching experiences that she believes have been instrumental in preparing her for her administrative ca... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Information Dissemination, Outreach, Social Media, Design and Marketing

Anna Costalas, MPA, serves as the Resource and Dissemination Manager for AUCD. She coordinates the planning, preparation and dissemination of print, web-based, and social media communications; coordinates learning activities including webinars, meetings and conferences; and supports marketing and branding efforts. Ms. Costalas brings expertise in accessibility of communications, and trains staff on technologies and standards for communications. 

Anna brings over 15 years of exper... READ MORE >

Jackie Czyzia, MPH, is the Senior Program Manager for AUCD's Maternal and Child Health Technical Assistance (TA) Team. Her responsibilities include o... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Family Support, UCEDD TA, Healthcare Transition Learning Group, Down Syndrome Consortium

Image Description: Sarah DeMaio, a woman with brown hair pulled up and wearing a blue shirt, smiles with a black background.

Sarah DeMaio is the senior program manager for AUCD's UCEDD Resource Center where she manages the technical assistance team for the UCEDD network. Sarah is also the project director for the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment (PFP-IDE). She provides oversight and leadership to the PFP-IDE which brings 20 mid-career professionals (Fel... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: MCH Workforce Development, Technical Assistance, Sibling Involvement, Disability Justice & Cultural Humility

Image Description: Emma is a youn... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Diversity Toolkit, TA Institute, Directors' Retreat, New Directors' Orientation, AUCD's International Efforts, Home and Community-Based Services, Coffee and TA Series (and related webinars and tip sheets), Harkin Summit, Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment

Image Description:Photo of Dorothy Garcia, a woman smiling at camera and wearing earrings and gray blazer and yellow and black shirt.

Dorothy Garcia is the project director for the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment (PFP-IDE). PFP-IDE is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State, which enables 20 emerging leaders ... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Access to Healthcare, Health Education, Action Learning, Communities of Practice

Dr. Adriane Griffen serves as the Senior Director, Public Health and Leadership, at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. With 20 years of experience, she specializes in disability and health, social marketing, qualitative research, and health education. Her activities focus on capacity building, systems change, and health promotion for people with disabilities across the life span.

Dr. Griffen integrates action learning principles and action research in her current w... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Community-based participatory research, Health equity, Leadership development, Program evaluation

Maureen Johnson is a Program Specialist for AUCD's Maternal and Child Health technical assistance team. Her responsibilities include supporting LENDs and DBPs through AUCD's cooperative agreement with MCHB's Division of MCH Workforce Development and strengthening efforts to engage and promote collaboration among the Emerging Leaders Community.

Before AUCD, Maureen worked at the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) in professional development and membership engagement. She ... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Disability Justice, Self-directed Supports, Policy, Qualitative Research

Image Description: Katie, a white woman with shoulder-length blonde hair against a tan background. She wears a pink shirt and is smiling at the camera."

Katie Johnson is a Program Specialist for AUCD's UCEDD Resource Center where she provides technical assi... READ MORE >

Image Description: Black woman with black curly hair in a low ponytail. She is wearing a black blouse and blue jeans with a black belt. She is standing in front of a wooden barn outside while the sun is setting.

Aryana Jones serves as the Communications Assistant at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). She works directly with AUCD's Resource and Dissemination Manager, Anna Costalas, to create communication materials for newsletters and socia... READ MORE >

Jordan Kerr is a program specialist for AUCD's public health team. Her responsibilities include assisting in the development of project reports and publications and providing support and information on a wide range of activities that further the mission and goals of members of the AUCD network.

Jordan holds a bachelor's degree in public health science from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining AUCD's public health team she worked in research studying structural ra... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Web Technologies/Internet Services, NIRS and LPQI Technical Questions, Web Application Development

Image Descriptions: White woman with black blazer is facing the camera head on. She has brown long hair and is smiling.

Oksana Klimova, MS, is the Director of Web Services at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). Oksana directs and oversees all aspects of AUCD's web systems in support of the association and network's strategic goals and priorities. She is responsible for creative design and development, from conception of prototype concepts through final progra... READ MORE >

Image Description :A photo of Jamie Koenig, a young woman with brown hair smiling at the camera. She is in front of a wall of ivy.

Bio: Jamie completed a master's degree in Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago with a focus on policy addressing social inequalities. Prior to that, she did a bachelor's degree at UChicago studying economics and human rights. Her prior experience has been at community organizations promoting better education access and workforce devel... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: AUCD Operations, Annual Conference, Annual Gala, AUCD Board of Directors, Giving to AUCD

Image Description: Professionally taken photo from the waist up of a white woman with glasses and blue eyes, brownish-blond, short hair, smiling and wearing a red shirt and black jacket.

Laura Martin is the Senior Director of Operations & Development at AUCD where she directs the organization's office operations and human resources, AUCD meetings and events, and Board of Directors activities. She also focuses on unrestricted corporate and individual giving for AUCD around the annu... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: NIRS, Federal Reporting, Data

Image Description: Smiling woman with shoulder length dark brown hair and glasses.

Natalie Martinez is the Data Support Manager for the MCH and UCEDD Technical Assistance Teams. Natalie supports the National Information Reporting System (NIRS) database. She assists UCEDDs and MCHB programs with technical assistance and data retrieval, reporting and guidance. Prior to AUCD, Natalie spent five years as the SIS Data Coordinator at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmenta... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Professional Fellows, PFP-IDE

Image Description: Siddarth Nagaraj Photo

Siddarth Nagaraj is a Senior Program Specialist at AUCD. He helps design and implement AUCD's international programs sponsorsed by the U.S. Department of State. This currently includes the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment (PFP-IDE), which bolsters inclusive employment in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda by facilitating educational exchanges and project collaboration between AUCD network members and emerging disability... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Public Policy, Advocacy, Victims of Crime/Abuse & Neglect

Image Description: Middle age white woman with shoulder length brow hair and black top looking at camera.

Rylin Rodgers is the Director of Public Policy at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities where she works on federal policy and legislative issues that affect people with developmental disabilities and their families. Prior to working at AUCD, Rylin served as the Training Director and Family Leadership Coordinator for the Riley Child Development Center (Indiana's LEN... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Public Policy, Advocacy, Victims of Crime/Abuse & Neglect

Image Description: Denise, a white woman with short reddish hair, wears red rectangular glasses and smiles at the camera. Denise wears a black and red flowered jacket against a black background.

Denise Rozell, JD, is the Director of Policy Innovation at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). Denise works primarily on issues affecting youth in post-secondary education, employment and independent living including as the co-Director for the PROMISE Technical Assist... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Technical Assistance, Program Development, Grant Writing, Succession Planning, Strategic Planning

Image Description: Image of smiling woman with long grey hair wearing a white shirt, dark suit jacket, and necklace.

Dawn Rudolph, MSEd, is the Senior Director for Technical Assistance and Network Engagement where she leads a wide range of supports for the national network of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) and the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Disabilities (LEND) programs. She also leverages their expertise in national ... READ MORE >

Image Description: Headshot photo of John Tschida, a smiling man with glasses, graying brown hair and goatee, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and red and blue patterned tie.

John Tschida, MPP, is the executive director of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). He has spent more than 20 years using data and research to drive policy change and service development for individuals with disabilities. Before joining AUCD in February of 2017 as associate executive di... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Executive Director Support, Accessibility and Accommodations, Operations, AUCD Meetings and Events, Harkin Summit

Image Description: A white women with a lace shirt and gray sweater is facing the camera in front of a black background. She has long brown hair that is partly braided and is smiling.

Jennifer Tuell is the Executive Specialist at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). She supports AUCD's executive director, Andrew Imparato, in leading the organization as well as oversees AUCD's accessibility and accommodation strategies for events and meetings. Jennifer also ha... READ MORE >

Image Description: Photo of E. Troy Washington, a man wearing a gray blazer and a light blue shirt.

E. Troy Washington is the Senior Director of Finance and Grants Administration at AUCD. Troy has over thirty years of accounting and grants experience. He has vast accounting experience leading financial operations for several organizations. His accounting experience includes financial statements and reporting, cash management, financial analysis, month and year-end closings, and audit ... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Learn the Signs, Act Early, Act Early Ambassadors, Developmental Monitoring and Screening, Early Childhood

Danielle Webber, MSW, is a Public Health Program Manager at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). Through a cooperative agreement with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), she manages and provides technical assistance to the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Program, its 54 state and territorial Ambassadors, and the Act Early Network with the goal of increasing developmental mo... READ MORE >

Talk to me about: Tuesdays with Liz, Self Advocacy, Plain Language, Public Speaking, Public Policy, Mentorship

Image Description: A white woman with black hair and glasses wearing a white turtleneck with a blue sweater.

Liz Weintraub has a long history of leadership in self advocacy, and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations. She is a full time member of the AUCD's policy team and also the host of Tuesdays With Liz: Disability Policy For All, where she a... READ MORE >