Bio – Fellow – Past Fellows

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

Lex Paul

Lex Paul was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

With a background in Community Organizing and Development, Paul is passionate about shining a light on injustice and prejudice, working to build understanding across the political and social spectrum through education and engagement. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

McKenzie Stribich

McKenzie Stribich [she (preferred)/they (used sometimes)] was a Faith Inclusion and Belonging Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Stribich is cis, queer/gay, neurodivergent, and physically disabled, and walks with forearm crutches. She was born and raised in Long Beach, California, where she lives with her one-eyed cat, Diamond. She holds a BFA in photography from California State University, Long Beach, and works as a freelance Technical Writer and Editor in business immigration law. She’s rediscovering her dormant love of reading (often a struggle because of her ADHD), and is a lover of music and swimming. She is a progressive Episcopalian Christian who loves learning and understanding how things work. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

Reagan Martin

Reagan Martin (she/her/hers) was an Entertainment and News Media Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Martin is a proud disabled and chronically ill actor, advocate, and graduate student based in North Texas. She is a former Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholar and College Scholar, having worked with the Foundation from 2008 until 2020. Martin graduated with distinction from the University of Oklahoma in 2017. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History with concentrations in American History, Jewish History, and Intellectual and Cultural History. During her time at OU, Martin served as an orientation counselor, first-year teaching assistant, and peer educator with the Gender + Equality Center. Martin was also the inaugural recipient of the Elizabeth Garrett Award for History. She is a proud initiate of Phi Beta Kappa, member of the American Historical Association, and alumna of Gamma Phi Beta International Sorority. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

Shira Leeder

Shira Leeder (she/her) was a Leadership Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Leeder was born and resides in Palo Alto, California near Stanford University. Leeder attended the University of California, Berkeley for her undergraduate degree, where she majored in American Studies with an emphasis in Disability Studies with Honors. Leeder also received her Nonprofit Management certificate from Cal State East Bay in Hayward, California. She decided to go back to college in 2020, after difficulty finding any full time employment in the nonprofit and disability fields. Leeder is currently working toward her Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management at San Francisco State University. Afterwards, she aims to create her own nonprofit focusing on alterative cooperative housing environment / services for people with disabilities, and hopes to acquire full time employment in the government or nonprofit sector. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022/Spring 2023

Emily Tironi

Emily Tironi was a Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. RespectAbility is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Emily grew up in Cambridge, NY with her parents and two sisters. Born with a physical disability, Emily is familiar with the stigma, barriers, and discrimination that the disability community faces in their daily lives. As she grew up, she learned to appreciate her disabled identity and became a self-advocate. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

Nicona MacDonald

Nicona MacDonald was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

MacDonald is a workforce development professional with a passion for building a more inclusive world and increasing employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. She 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. She has worked as an employment placement specialist, a manager of peer mentoring programs, and as a university admissions reviewer. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

Adina Faye Karten

Adina Faye Karten was a Policy Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Karten is a Poverty and Development Consultant who has been working in inclusion, health advocacy, and the development spheres for more than 6 years. During this time, she has written about policy, designed M&E frameworks, and implemented interventions targeted toward increasing access to health resources for the rural disabled population. As a researcher for UN ESCAP, she contributed to the publication of “Harmonization of National Laws with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Selected Trends in the ESCAP Region.” [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Fall 2022

Ashley Merlanie Castillo

Ashley Merlanie Castillo was a Communications Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Fall 2022. RespectAbility is a national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

Castillo is a disabled Latina/Hispanic journalist with cerebral palsy. Her passion for journalism began at a young age when her mother introduced her to Spanish language news broadcasts. An English language learner at school, she realized that watching the news at home allowed her to continue to learn and grasp Spanish. She especially enjoyed the entertainment and gossip news hour because she loved hearing about current events and the latest news in the entertainment business. She also noticed that Spanish language broadcasts covered more stories about disabled people like herself. [continue reading…]

National Leadership Program, Spring 2022

Abigail Shaw

Abigail Shaw (she/her) was a Civic Engagement Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program for Spring 2022. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Shaw’s apprenticeship was funded by the Fox Family Foundation.

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