Jordan Anderson is 19 year old and a 2021 high school graduate. Jordan is a strong advocate for Supported Decision-Making and co-leads the Center for Youth Voice, Youth Choice project for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental disabilities. He has a dual role as a co-lead and a Youth Ambassador for the project and is helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship.
Erica Andres is the Owner of Empowering U, a company dedicated to ensuring people with disabilities are able to Self-Direct to make the most out of their lives. Erica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications & a Human Resources Certificate. She has experience with recruiting, hiring, and training employees as a former Agency Director, a summer camp Recruitment Director and as a self-advocate managing her own team of caregivers since 2000. ericky1834@gmail.com
Sydney Badeau is a self-advocate, President of Youth Leadership Forum Board, on BPDD Board, a Partners in Policymaking graduate and member of The Arc of the United States National Council of Self Advocates. badeausydney@gmail.com
Diana Becerra is the Training Coordinator at ALAS, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the independence of persons with disabilities by providing information and support to them, and their families. Proud sibling of Diego Becerra, an 18-year-old with Down Syndrome. diana@alianzalatinawi.org
Diego Becerra is a self-advocate and youngest of the three children. Diego was born with Down Syndrome who lives a typical life with few obstacles just like anyone else. Diego communicates best through gestures, mouthing words, and using his communication device.
Will Becker is a self-advocate attending Oregon High School. He has a black belt in Karate and is a Youth Ambassador for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities’ Center for Youth Voice, Youth Choice project helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship.
Cindy Bentley is the Executive Director of People First Wisconsin. She has spent the last 20 years working at PFW. Cindy is a fierce advocate. She is a person with an intellectual disability who believes in self-determination and inclusion. peoplefirstwi@gmail.com
Monica Bear is the Dane County Disability Services Manager and passionate cheerleader for the thoughtful integration of technology into daily life. bear@countyofdane.com
Ginger Beuk works with SOAR Fox Cities in Appleton on the BPDD Living Well grant. Ginger has been working with peer groups to deliver the Living Well Safe and Free curriculum, the COVID-19 toolkit and our new rights toolkit. Her passion is Self-Advocacy, anyone can start simply by helping decide what they do during the day.
Kristy Bridenhagen is a longtime YMCA Adapted Recreation Director and SOWI local program manager from Stevens Point. She has attended training and piloted a new Special Olympics 10-session curriculum on Healthy Relationships and Sexual Health. kbridenhagen@spymca.org
Brianne Burke-Leonard is a Community Partnership Specialist at TMG and has worked in human services since 2004. Brianne has partnered with Avi, Jose and Anthony in the past and is excited to help them share their stories. She lives in Menomonee Falls, WI, with her husband and three daughters. BMBurkeLeonard@tmgwisconsin.com
Felicia Clayborne has triumphed over some obstacles in being disabled. Felicia is an Outreach Self-Advocate with People First Wisconsin. She is the founder, owner and President of Ability Travel Club, a travel tour company that helps the community, people with disabilities, and seniors to enhance independence living skills while traveling. advocatemke@gmail.com
Lauren Dettmer is a LOV Inc. Community Organizer and has worked in various settings with individuals with I/DD in the past. Lauren has a BA-Special Education. Lauren facilitates a Peer Support Group for transition-aged young adults in LOV Inc. and enjoys supporting young adults in their transition to adulthood. lauren@lovinc.org
Elsa Diaz-Bautista is a mother, wife, community builder, and disability rights advocate. She was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and left her birthplace right after graduating from high school. She went on to earn Bachelor and Master’s degrees that a orded her the opportunity to become bilingual in both English and Spanish while embracing a totally di erent culture. During this time, she discovered a passion for traveling and experiencing di erent cultures. elsa@alianzalatinawi.org
Stacy Ellingen is a college graduate and business owner. Stacy’s advocacy and self-determination have gotten her where she is today. Through her perseverance and resiliency, she has yet to meet a challenge she can’t overcome! Her motto is: never ever give up! sellingen@incontrolwisconsin.org
Tyler Engel is a self-advocate who works to help other disabled people through researching respite and caregiver well-being, sports, and product design. Barrierbusterdesignes@gmail.com
Janet Estervig has degrees in Special Education, Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, and is a Registered Nurse. She taught high school special education, established a supported employment program, was the director of personal care and home chore services for individuals with disabilities and elders, and worked as the Employment Initiatives Section Chief at DHS. Janet is currently working at Attainment Company and serves on three non-profit Boards. Janet@attainmentcompany.com
Anthony Farnia is living in West Bend, WI with his parents and cats. He’s a skilled digital animator who enjoys sharing his stories through videos he creates, which are about dinosaurs, horses and airplanes. Check out his videos at anthonyfarina.weebly.com/videos.html Anthony is excited to share his love of animation with you.
Sally Flaschberger is the Living Well Project Manager at the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. Sally has been a disability advocate for over 20 years. She was a lead advocacy specialist and public policy associate for Disability Rights Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s Protection and Advocacy agency for the last 11 years. Her focus was on children’s issues, including special education and children’s long-term care waiver services. Sally has served on several statewide committees, including the State Special Education Council, the Superintendent’s Equity Council, the Legislative Study Committee on School Data and the Governor-Elect transition team on children’s issues. Sally is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking and is now the co-leader for Wisconsin’s program. Sally is the parent of an adult son with a developmental disability who uses the long-term care system in Wisconsin. sally.flaschberger@wisconsin.gov
Alaina Gallagher is the Dose Health CMO and a dedicated, high-energy executive who is passionate about using Assistive Technology (AT) to improve health outcomes and maintain individual independence. alaina@dosehealth.com
Stephen Graves is the Director of Culture & Belonging at GT Independence. In this role, he provides leadership to create an inclusive workplace. He has over a decade of experience. sgraves@gtindependence.com
Dedra Hafner is the director of the Alumni Resource Center. This program is a new approach to empowering young adults to be actively engaged in their communities. director@alumniresourcecenter.org
Virginia Harrison is a Bridge Builder with LOV Inc. supporting adults with I/DD to connect to community and set and achieve personal goals. Before LOV, Virginia was a Special Ed Assistant with the Madison West High School 18-21 year-old transition program. virginia@lovinc.org
Jose Hernandez Ruiz is living in Mequon, WI, with his wife, Ema. Jose is a gifted artist who developed his talent for painting beautiful landscapes. Jose is happy to share his passion for painting with you. He will be presenting with English translations provided.
Mike Hipple is a young man with a physical disability. He has been using assistive technology and Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) since 1998 to communicate with his family and in the community. In 2015, he started the Wisconsin AAC Network whose mission is to give everybody a voice. He presents at conferences, serves on boards, and is active with Kiwanis. mikehipple4@gmail.com
Sue Hipple has had the pleasure of co-presenting with Mike on several topics and at several conferences. Both have been attendees at Self-Determination Conference and would like to share what they know about the wonder of participation in clubs and organizations.
Homestead High School Transition Students participate in Portal’s school to adult life transition program. These students have been working on a variety of skills to prepare them for work and life after high school including self-advocacy.
Keith Jones is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin’ Experiences. As an African American community activist and entrepreneur with cerebral palsy. As a strong advocate for independent quality living in the community, Mr. Jones has participated actively in various issues that face people with disabilities. Mr. Jones works to not only educate the disability community about enhanced community living, but also the community at large. Mr. Jones has been recognized for his emerging leadership by the state of Massachusetts and President’s Commission for Employment for People with Disabilities. kpjones@dasoultoucha.com
Nekita Krisko aka Nick (uses they/them and he/him pronouns interchangeably) is an English major at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. They are a Lived Experience Partner through the O ce of Children’s Mental Health. He has Autism Spectrum Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar 2 Disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They also live with several chronic physical disabilities. He has been a vocal activist for the mental health and disability community for his entire life. They also speak on their intersectional experience, being queer and disabled. They identify as trans masculine, bisexual, and polyamorous. kriskons16@gmail.com
Terri Lannon is an Employment and Benefits Specialist working in the Ticket to Work program as well as providing Work Incentives Benefits Counseling. In addition to working at ERI, she has also held various other positions that focused on benefits counseling and employment services. lannan@eri-wi.org
Mark Laing is a 61 year old male with cerebral palsy. He is a 1982 graduate from UW-Whitewater with a dual degree in education. He is a tireless advocate for people with physical and mental challenges to encourage them to live the best quality of life they can. Mark is currently a spiritual, motivational and life speaker specializing in issues like bullying and embracing people’s di erences. He recently got married to his best friend, Luanne McGregor, and they reside in the Milwaukee area.
Nichole Lee is a recent graduate of the Sun Prairie HS transition program. She co-facilitates a Peer Support Group for transition-aged young adults in LOV Inc. Nicole works in retail and performs through The Penguin Project. She also likes karate, her family pets, meditating, movies, baking, and family time. 51295@sunprairieschools.org51295@sunprairieschools.org
Nathaniel Lentz has advocated for people with developmental disabilities most of his life. Currently, he is an Outreach Self-Advocate for People First WI. He has served on boards and organizations and has spoken at numerous conferences about the rights of people with disabilities to educational resources and meaningful employment. nwllobito8@gmail.com
Megan MacDonald has been working with Aptiv in Rock County on the BPDD Living Well grant. Megan has been working with peer groups to deliver the Living Well Safe and Free curriculum.
Ashley Mathy is an Employment First Ambassador and Wisconsin Partner in Policymaking graduate who has spoken around the state of Wisconsin advocating for people with special needs. She has been interviewed on the TV, Radio and Newspaper on multiple occasions to provide her insights on the importance of employment and education. ashleymathy@gmail.com
Wendy Maher has extensive experience in the area of transition from her years as the Transition Specialist for Homestead High School in Mequon, WI to currently at Portal, Inc. in Grafton, WI where she facilitates the summer and school year transition programs for area high school students. WMaher@portalinc.org
Pam Malin is a lifelong disability advocate. She is passionate about advocating for individuals with disabilities in the areas of healthy relationships, boundaries, self-advocacy, safety and abuse prevention. Pam is an advocacy specialist at Disability Rights Wisconsin, working with victims of crime with disabilities. pamm@drwi.org
Hunter Markle is 23 years old and still working on figuring out what he wants to do in life. Health Transition is one of the many steppingstones we all have to understand.
Tim Markle is the dad of two wonderful 20-somethings and enjoys helping them figure out what that means. Tim has worked professionally and on a volunteer basis with youth from church work to runaway shelters, to musicals. Currently, as part of his cool job, he tries to figure out ways to help youth and families and providers prepare for transitioning into the world of adult health care. tmarkle@wisc.edu
Molly McCormick is a Disaster Program Specialist with the American Red Cross who leads preparedness programming for the Southwest Wisconsin Chapter. Prior to coming to the Red Cross Molly was a Special Education Teacher and has spent over a decade working with individuals with developmental disabilities. molly.mccormick@redcross.org
Shannon McKinley is a part of Inclusa and the Stevens Point community. Shannon has had the opportunity to support people in the community for the past 24 years. Shannon enjoys teaching at the YMCA, supporting children in their activities and learning and growing as a professional and community member. shannon.mckinley@inclusa.org
Kaitlin McNamara is the Project Coordinator for the Living Well Project at the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities. She also coordinates the Take Your Legislator to Work project. Kaitlin helped develop the COVID-19 Toolkit that focused on keeping people healthy, safe, and connected. Her work this year has been focused on getting people with disabilities and their families vaccinated and helping to bring COVID-19 vaccine clinics to diverse and underserved communities. Kaitlin is also a third year law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School focusing on disability rights and a sibling to a sister who is autistic. kaitlin.mcnamara@wisconsin.gov
Ellen Merker, MS LPC started Heart Consulting LLC in 2017, after seeing the need for more resources around sexual assault and domestic violence in the disability community. Ellen takes a neurodiverse a rmative and sex positive approach in all work, and works with clients to reach their relationship goals. Heart Consulting provides education to people with I/DD around healthy and safe relationships and sexuality, therapy for trauma survivors, caregiver and professional training, and community outreach/advocacy. ellenm@heartconsulting.org
Brian Messman is a self-advocate who has a strong passion for soccer and making it more accessible for people with disabilities, and helping people become financially stable. brian.messman@gmail.com
Stephenie Mlodzik (She/Her) is a self-advocate with Cerebral Palsy. She holds bachelor’s degree in English and has had several communications and consulting positions over the past 13 years. She currently works as a Fund Development Coordinator for WisconSibs, Inc. a non-profit that helps the siblings of people with disabilities. As a self-advocate, she helps bring attention to the issues and concerns of the disability community. She is a member of the Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD); completed Partners in Policymaking and attended the Disability Policy Seminar (DPS); contributes to various presentations, publications, videos, and conferences. She got married in 2018 and lives with her husband Ben in the Fox Cities. snoggle3@gmail.com
Lisa Pugh is the Executive Director of The Arc Wisconsin and co-chair of the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations. She was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and recently served as co-chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Caregiving. pugh@thearc.org
Jennie Rojas is from the Milwaukee area and is a self-advocate and Youth Ambassador for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities’ Center for Youth Voice, Youth Choice project helping to spread the word on supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship.
Nathan Ruffolo (He/Him/His) is the sibling of a person with disabilities and a long-time disability advocate. He has been involved in disability focused projects in both professional and personal capacities throughout Wisconsin. Nathan currently serves on the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities and has volunteered with WisconSibs in Appleton for many years. Nathan has worked as a Community Employment Specialist with Valley Packaging Industries, a Disability Benefits Specialist with Outagamie County, and is currently working as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Nathan.ruffolo@dwd.wisconsin.gov
Delores Sallis is the mother of five children, her youngest son, Albert, is 28 years old and has multiple disabilities. Delores is the founder of Parent University, which serves as a resource center to help families in the Milwaukee area navigate systems to help their loved ones with disabilities. She has great passion for people with disabilities and their families. She helps families ask for what they need but don’t know how to ask. Delores.sallis@gmail.com
Emily Savage works with LOV Inc in Madison on the BPDD Living Well grant. Emily has been working with peer groups to deliver the Living Well safe and free curriculum, the COVID-19 toolkit and our new rights toolkit. She was born and raised in a small town in SC, not far from Charleston. She moved to Madison in 2002 as a junior in high school and is now 36 years old.
Ryan Scanlan is the Innovative Services Inc. Regional Administrator who has successfully implemented a wide variety of technology that empowers and supports individuals in community living. ryans@isiinc.org
Kristi Scheunemann has been working with BPDD on the Living Well grant. Kristi will be working with a peer group at her day service program to deliver the Living Well safe and free curriculum. I am honored to help present at the Self-Determination conference. Advocacy has been my passion for several years and I am excited to not only show for myself, but help others show society what we CAN do.
Melissa Schoenbrodt is currently Senior Director of Health and Fitness for Special Olympics of Wisconsin and is supporting sexual health of people with disabilities in that role.
Sarah Schroeder is a Community Work Incentives Coordinator (CWIC). Sarah provides benefit related services to beneficiaries regarding Social Security Administration work incentives. She also administers pre-driving assessments as one of ERI’s Driving Services Specialists. Sarah has a degree in social work and is also a former librarian. Sarah can be reached at schroeder@eri-wi.org
William Schultz is a self-advocate who always works to make the world more equitable for disabled individuals and is the coach of the Wisconsin Warriors power soccer team. wlschultzjr@gmail.com
Jennifer Sell graduated from UW-Madison with a master’s degree in German Literature and certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), she taught Workplace English classes in Austria, Spain, and the United States. For the past 21 years, Jen has provided customized literacy instruction for adults at area businesses, schools, and non-profit organizations. Currently, she works as an English Language Instructor in Cultural Linguistic Services at UW-Madison. As plain language trainer, she works with sta in a wide range of departments across campus and delivered workshops to many statewide organizations. A member of PLAIN International, Jen has produced dozens of plain language translations of hiring, policy, marketing, and training documents. jennifer.sell@wisc.edu
Avraham Semon (Avi) is living in Mequon, WI with his dog, Barnaby. He is an amazing tennis player and has been playing for over 30 years. Avi is looking forward to sharing his passion for tennis with you at the Self-Determination Conference.
Kaethe Sigelko is living on her own and works at the local hospital. She is also an author and a public speaker. It is her desire to fire up other young adults to follow their dreams. K.sigelko1415@gmail.com
Lucas Smith is a high school student and certified Athlete Health Messenger from Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Daniel Strutz is a 19 year old self-advocate from Rhinelander, WI. Originally from Burkina Faso, Africa, as a pre-teen Daniel moved to the US to live with his forever family. He is a 2021 graduate of Rhinelander High School. He has attended Jump! Start at Nicolet College and has experienced the transition into adult services. In the past year he has chosen Supported Decision-Making and has learned about the importance of advocating for himself and others.
Philip Temme has worked at TMG for eight years. He enjoys movies, reading, writing, talking about history, and listening to music in his free time. Philip is also a 2020 Diehard Award recipient. pctemme3@gmail.com
Lauren Tierney is a high school student who learned about healthcare transition from a team of professionals. She is very excited to share what she learned and how she sees her future taking charge of her healthcare.
Transition Student participants in the Relationship Boundaries in the Workplace session are transitioning from school to adult life in Portal’s transition program. These students have been working on a variety of skills to prepare them for work and life after high school including Self-Advocacy.
Sue Urban, RN, IDDN, CDP is the Director of Clinical Services for TMG and oversees the IRIS Self-Directed Personal Care Program. For 20 years, Sue has specialized in the field of IDD nursing with a focus on complex medical care. In addition, she is a certified Dementia Practitioner and certified trainer. surban@wisconsin-iris.com
Stacey Wargowsky is Director of Care Management Support at Inclusa, a Family Care organization. Stacey has 20+ years of experience in the Human Services field. Stacey has devoted much of her time over the last two years learning more about technology and exploring the advantages to a technology first approach. stacey.wargowsky@inclusa.org
Kim Whitmore is interested in understanding and addressing the needs of families of children with special healthcare needs. Her current research is focused on examining the respite care needs of family caregivers with the goal of informing the development of a care delivery system that promotes family self-management across the lifespan. Kim.whitmore@ujimaunited.com
Tina Wiley is the new self-advocate working with Opportunity Development Center (ODC) on the BPDD Living Well grant. Tina is new to the grant and will be delivering the safe and free curriculum and the rights toolkit to peer groups at ODC.
Burlie Williams is the Disaster Program Manager for the Southwest Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has over 20 years of experience serving people in need of immediate and long-term assistance. burlie.williams@redcross.org
James Williams is a “presenter and author with autism.” He was born in 1988 and diagnosed with autism in 1991. He graduated from Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois in 2010 with a modified high school diploma and has been a member of Glenbrook North High School’s Booster Club since 2015. He gave his first presentation on autism at the age of 11, at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, WI. Today, he travels around the U.S. lecturing on autism. He is the author of two novels featuring children with autism, Out to Get Jack and The H.A.L. Experiment. He serves on the sta for multiple anime conventions throughout the United States and is a member of the Steering Committee for Wisconsin’s Community of Practice on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Finally, he is a professional recorder player who has recorded two albums of solo recorder music. jmw820@comcast.net
Brittany Wilson is a published poet and Athlete Leader from Team Milwaukee.
Becky Woods Bauknecht, CSW is currently a Behavioral Health Senior Manager at Inclusa. Becky has been social worker for over 30 years and not a day goes by without learning something new about life, human nature and our world. Becky have been with Inclusa since 2003. Formally of Stevens Point, Becky now lives in Madison with her wife, dog, two cats and a horse. becky.bauknecht@inclusa.org