President and CEO
Meet our Staff
Meet Our Apprentices
Adina Karten, Policy Apprentice
Adina Faye Karten has been working in inclusion, health advocacy, and the development spheres for more than 6 years. She holds a M.A. in Poverty and Development and a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology. [click to continue…]
Arianna Montaño, Nonprofit Management Apprentice
Arianna Montaño graduated with honors from the University of California, San Diego, where she earned her B.A in Sociology. Her senior thesis project discussed college students with hearing loss and their experiences in school. [click to continue…]
Ashley Melanie Castillo, Communications Apprentice
Ashley Merlanie Castillo is a disabled Latina/Hispanic journalist with cerebral palsy. In college, she won a speech and debate competition award for a persuasive speech on disability and bullying in school environments. [click to continue…]
Becca Block, Jewish Inclusion Apprentice
Block graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Journalism & Mass Communications. She also works at Temple Beth Ami in Maryland as an accessible educator in the religious school. [click to continue…]
Emily Tironi, Communications Apprentice
Emily Tironi majored in Media Arts at SUNY Adirondack, learning graphic design. Wanting to learn more about disability advocacy, she went on to earn her bachelors in disability studies from The CUNY School of Professional Studies. [click to continue…]
Erica Mones, Entertainment and News Media Apprentice
Erica Mones is a writer, YouTuber, and disability advocate who is currently pursuing her Masters in Disability Studies from the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She hopes to pave the way for disabled people through screenwriting. [click to continue…]
Gabriella Helkowski, Faith Inclusion and Belonging Apprentice
Helkowski recently graduated with her Bachelor of the Arts degree from Mercyhurst University. When not working, she likes to spend time with her friends and family, photography, cooking and traveling. [click to continue…]
Gabrielle Zwi, Policy Apprentice
Gabrielle Zwi is a community organizer, educator, and musician based in Rockville, Maryland. In October, they will graduate from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights. [click to continue…]
Hiram Helfman, Policy Apprentice
Hiram Helfman has a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and a Master of Arts in Diplomacy. He has spoken at disability awareness events as part of the University of Central Florida’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. [click to continue…]
Leah Ilana Craig, Jewish Nonprofit Management Apprentice
Leah Ilana Craig, as an autistic individual with POTS Syndrome, believes passionately in making the working world more accessible for people with disabilities so that they can live their dreams. She is in her final year at Lindenwood University’s MFA program. [click to continue…]
McKenzie Stribich, Faith Inclusion and Belonging Apprentice
McKenzie Stribich holds a BFA in photography from California State University, Long Beach. She’s rediscovering her dormant love of reading (often a struggle because of her ADHD), and is a lover of music and swimming. [click to continue…]
Nicona MacDonald, Nonprofit Management Apprentice
Nicona MacDonald has a Bachelor’s degree in Community Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit and higher education fields. In her free time, she would rather be outdoors than indoors. [click to continue…]
Reagan Martin, Entertainment and News Media Apprentice
Reagan Martin is a proud disabled and chronically ill actor, advocate, and graduate student based in North Texas. Her love for the acting and the entertainment industry previously led her to work at the Walt Disney World Resort. [click to continue…]
Riccardo Ricciardi, Jewish Nonprofit Management Apprentice
Riccardo Ricciardi had the opportunity to witness and experience the impact of disabilities on people around the world firsthand through his work in the United States Air Force and as a flight attendant. He is a bona fide computer nerd. [click to continue…]
Shira Leeder, Leadership Apprentice
Shira Leeder is currently working toward her Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management at San Francisco State University. She won the Ms. Wheelchair California Pageant in 2012. [click to continue…]
