Graciano Petersen, Vice President, People, Culture, and Learning
Graciano Petersen
Graciano Petersen is the Vice President, People, Culture, and Learning, at RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Graciano is dedicated to advancing equity across all sectors and providing accessible opportunities for upskilling and advancement. Graciano holds an MA in Second Language Acquisition from Tulane University, is fluent in Spanish, and is working towards fluency in Brazilian Portuguese.
Prior to joining RespectAbility, Graciano worked in adult education and school leadership. He has over 13 years of Adult Education experience and is passionate about making education accessible to all types and levels of learners. Graciano is currently on the Board at the Adult Numeracy Network as the Equity Officer where he focuses on working with board to make sure there is equity across the inner workings of the board and its committees.
Outside of work, Graciano is a carnivalist (a carnival enthusiast) and can be found engaging in carnival culture and leads the Vavá United School of Samba in DC.
