Board of Advisors

Tom Newman, Board of Advisors

Tom Newman

Tom Newman is founder and partner at KNA, a boutique advisory firm. KNA specializes in digital transformation in the media and technology sector. He has over 20 years of experience launching, investing and operating digital media companies. He founded and was CEO of Interactive One, the leading urban millennial digital media company. Prior to that, he was SVP of mergers and acquisitions for Time Warner, head of corporate strategy for AOL Media, and prior to that a banker at Goldman Sachs. Tom is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Tom serves on the board of Asphalt Green and New Alternatives for Children. He lives in New York City with his wife and two boys. He is was born with phocomelia, a congenital disability of the legs and spine, and uses a wheelchair to navigate the potholes of New York.

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Malhar Shah, Board of Advisors

Malhar Shah

Born and raised in Downey, California, Malhar Shah is the child of Indian immigrants from Mumbai, India. His own struggles with mental health disabilities inspired his passion for education law and policy. Malhar graduated from University of California, Riverside and Harvard Law School Cum Laude.

Malhar currently works as the education attorney at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in Berkeley, California. His advocacy and litigation work focus on reforming State-level special education monitoring mechanisms to ensure school districts throughout California provide quality services to disabled students.

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Tamala Patrice Scott, Board of Advisors

Tamala Patrice Scott

Tamala Patrice Scott brings more that 17 years of development and fundraising experience across a variety of non-profit organizations. As a Philadelphia native, Tamala relocated to Virginia for a change in scenery and to start her career where she was introduced to the field of development and loved it.

Over the course of Tamala’s career, she has led fundraising efforts to raise millions of dollars for non-profit organizations such as the United Negro College Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Arc of the US and Childhelp, Inc., just to name a few. Tamala’s years of development experience include working with corporate and family foundations, corporations, major donors, board members, sponsors and managing special events.

Tamala is excited to join the RespectAbility board and looks forward to helping to raise awareness and visibility for this wonderful organization.

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Christine Cadena, Board of Advisors

Christine Cadena

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

Judith Creed

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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