Board of Advisors

Christine Cadena, Board of Advisors

Christine Cadena is Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion at The Walt Disney Company and is responsible for developing and advancing strategic company-wide inclusion efforts across diverse consumer segments. She leads community engagement with a focus on advancing representation, equity and inclusion as well as internal efforts like a companywide workgroup focused on advancing Inclusion practices for people with disabilities. During her tenure, she has held progressive roles within Disney, including Merchandising, Product Development, Marketing and Franchise Development. Prior to coming to Disney, she began her career in retail as a buyer and product development executive for Nordstrom. A native of Los Angeles, she is an alumni of UCLA.

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Judith Creed, Board of Advisors

An accomplished Business and Healthcare Professional with more than 45 years of working experience, Judith Creed was a founding member of Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation, Operation Smile, Philadelphia; and Judith Creed Homes for Adult Independence (JCHAI). Presently, Creed sits on the board of the Schwartz Foundation and is the Board Chair of JCHAI. The Schwartz Foundation supports Jewish charities, as well as Israel, educational and disabilities organizations.

JCHAI provides supportive, inclusive independent living and vocational training for people with disabilities. JCHAI serves more than 100 people with disabilities. Seventy percent of the JCHAI members are employed in competitive employment. All live independently with JCHAI supports.

Previously Creed served as the director of Product Development and Sales Training for KayPentax in Montvale, New Jersey. She has a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology and holds a patent on a medical device that is used to evaluate neurogenic swallowing disorders.

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Stacie M. de Armas, Board of Advisors

Stacie M. de Armas

Stacie M. de Armas is Senior Vice President Inclusive Insights & Initiatives and a Leader within Nielsen’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice. She is an inclusion & identity researcher, consumer behaviorist, and subject matter expert on diverse communities. Specializing in data at the intersection of community, advocacy & entertainment, she is responsible for producing inclusive thought leadership and new research initiatives for diverse consumers, content and audiences. [continue reading…]

Andrew Egan, Board of Advisors

As a seasoned creative director, and the founder of CoolGraySeven, Andrew Egan is much more than just a creative resource for his clients and regularly consults on all aspects of their business including strategy, new product development, retail and merchandising. Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Egan studied graphic design and worked in fashion editorial before establishing the London-based design group Egan Melia in 1993.

In 2000, Egan joined Ann Taylor as Creative Director and moved to New York City to help modernize the brand for a new, younger consumer. From there, he moved to fashion advertising agency Laird+Partners where he worked on campaigns for Gap and Nautica before founding CoolGraySeven in 2004. At CoolGraySeven, Egan works with clients across a wide range of different sectors including fashion & retail, luxury real estate and education. His clients include Natori, Frank & Eileen, Geoffrey Beene, Waterworks, Tolkowsky and the New Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

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Gabrielle Einstein-Sim, Board of Advisors

Gabrielle Einstein-Sim

Gabrielle Einstein-Sim is a graduate of the University of Michigan where she studied economics. She is currently a Master’s Student in Community Health Education at Teachers College Columbia University. She is a member of the Jewish National Fund’s Disability Task Force, focusing specifically on the Special in Uniform program, which enables people with disabilities to serve in the Israeli army.

Einstein-Sim has strong interests in the disability sphere and undertook leadership roles in Best Buddies while at the University of Michigan. Her volunteer efforts also have included recruiting and coordinating volunteers for NYCares and interning for various nonprofits including the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine.

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Calvin Harris, Board of Advisors – Chair Emeritus

Calvin Harris, Chair Emeritus

Calvin Harris, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is the Director of Communications for The Economic Innovation Group. Harris became involved in the disability space as a teenager. Because of his mother’s work in the neuromuscular lab at the Washington University School of Medicine, Harris met many kids with a disability. This experience inspired him to volunteer as a camp counselor at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Camp for Kids, where he spent several summers during high school and college.

Harris previously served as senior manager of public affairs at the Bipartisan Policy Center, the only Washington-based think tank that brings together leaders with different perspectives, yet stand united in their resolve to work for consensus-based solutions. Harris is a graduate of Morehouse College and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

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Evelyn Kelley, Board of Advisors

Evelyn Kelley

Evelyn Kelley, who has a severe hearing disability, is a self-advocate for people with disabilities. She graduated from Stanford University in 2012 with a degree in English and joined RespectAbility as one of its first Fellows. During her time at RespectAbility, Kelley helped establish the role of the Fellows by identifying specific projects that Fellows could assume responsibility for, and through her contributions as a skilled writer, she wrote grant proposals and drafted op-eds for publication.

Kelley left RespectAbility as a Fellow after six months to assume her current position as a Paralegal/Project Assistant in the Washington, D.C., offices of the leading law firm, WilmerHale. Kelley is excited to remain involved with RespectAbility by serving on the Board of Directors.

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Paul Martin, Board of Advisors

Paul Martin

Paul Martin is the Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture, motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; music; television, digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technology. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Classics. Martin is responsible for global talent strategies at all levels within the organization. As the Chief Diversity Officer, he brings together people reflecting the culturally diverse world in which we live to create an innovative workplace. [continue reading…]

Jaime H. Pacheco-Orozco, Board of Advisors

Jaime H. Pacheco-Orozco

Jaime Pacheco-Orozco currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles, Department on Disability, where he manages the day-to-day operations of the department and oversees the budgetary, legislative, and strategic planning processes. He has been active in the workforce development arena for past twenty years and previously served as the Division Chief of the City’s Workforce Development System. [continue reading…]