Delphi Panel
The Delphi Expert Panel provides valuable input on research design and implementation as well as dissemination of research findings.
Click a name below to view that panelist's bio:
Larry Abramson
Lou Adams
Nancy Arnold
Roseann Ashby
Jim Carden
John Connelly
Burt Danovitz
David Dean
Laurie Ford
Andrea Guest
Jim Hanophy
Oscar Jiménez
John Lui
Terry Martin
Chacku Mathai
Feliciano "J" Morrow
Stephaine Parrish Taylor
Amy Porter
Jim Rothrock
Tony Sauer
Virginia Selleck
James Smith
Marie Strahan
Don Uchida
Bob Weathers
Larry Abramson
Director of Vocational Rehabilitation
St. Luke’s House, Inc.
6040 Southport Drive
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (734) 944-3325
Email: abramson@stlukeshouse.com
Bio coming soon.
Lou Adams, M.A.
Chief Operating Officer / Deputy Bureau Director
Michigan Rehabilitation Services
201 N. Washington Sq.
Victor Building 4th Floor
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 373-7457
Email: adamsl1@michigan.gov
Lou Adams, M.A., is the Chief Operating Officer - Deputy Director of the general vocational rehabilitation prgoram for the State of Michigan. Previous positons include: District Manager, Organizational Devlopment Consultant, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.
Nancy Arnold, Ph.D.
Research Director for Rural Employment and Economic Development
The University of Montana Rural Institute
52 Corbin Hall
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812
Phone: (406) 243-2469
Email: nancy@ruralinstitute.umt.edu
Bio coming soon.
Roseann Ashby
Chief, Training Programs Unit
Rehabilitation Services Administration
550 12th Street, SW
Room 5055
Washington, DC 20202
Phone: (202) 245-7258
Email: roseann.ashby@ed.gov
Bio coming soon.
James Carden, M.A.
Deputy Commissioner
Alabama Department of Rehabilitaion Services
602 South Lawrence Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: (334) 293-7035
Email: jim.carden@rehab.alabama.gov
James (Jim) Carden, M.A., has worked in both public and private human service organizations for thirty-eight years and for Alabama Rehabilitation Services for 32 of those years. His career has included a broad spectrum of experiences in both direct service and leadership positions. He is currently Deputy Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. Jim works directly with all the division directors of the ADRS continuum of services which include: Lead agency for Alabama’s Early Intervention System, the Children’s Rehabilitation Service, the Hemophilia Program, both the General and Blind and Deaf divisions of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the State of Alabama Independent Living Program, which includes the state Homebound Program. Whether the person is a child born with a disability or someone who acquires a disability later in life, the goal is the same: self-sufficiency and independence.
John Connelly, J.D.
Deputy Director for ARRA
Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation
1 Research Court
Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20805
Phone: (740) 815-1518
Email: jconnelly@rehabnetwork.org
John Connelly, J.D., graduated from Capital University in 1977 with a B.A. in politcal science and history and a minor in education. In 1980, he received his J.D. from Capital University Law School. Mr. Connelly then went to work for Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission in 1980 and worked there until 2009. He has held a variety of posts at the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission including General Counsel, Deputy Director, and Director for the last nine years. Currently, Mr. Connelly is employed by CSAVR. He serves on the Sunbury Community Library Board, the Trenton Township Zoning Board of Appeals, the Condit Presbyterian Church Council, and other local boards.
Burt Danovitz
Executive Director
Resource Center for Independent Living (RCIL)
PO Box 210
409 Columbia Street
Utica, NY 13503
Phone: (315) 797-4642
Email: burt.danovitz@rcil.com
Bio coming soon.
David Dean, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics
University of Richmond
1 Gateway Drive
Richmond, VA 23173
Phone: (804) 289-8559
Email: ddean@richmond.edu
Dr. David Dean is currently an associate professor of economics at the University of Richmond and Co-Director of the Bureau of Disability Economics Research (BDER). He has examined issues related to the economics of disability for the past 30 years. His work at BDER has concentrated on assessing the effectiveness of various federal and state return-to-work programs for persons with disabilities. He is currently the principal investigator on a three-year NIDRR-funded development grant to examine the return on investment of the public vocational rehabilitation program. He has previously performed evaluations of the efficacy of various state vocational rehabilitation programs, the Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Service program for disabled veterans, Social Security Administration’s Ticket-to-Work program, worker’s compensation return-to-work programs, and both supported and sheltered employment programs. His evaluation work has been published in the Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Economic Education Review, Evaluation Review, and Contemporary Economic Policy, as well as various rehabilitation journals.
Laurie Ford, M.S.
Project Director
TACE Northwest, CCER - UW
6912 220th SW
Suite 105
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043
Phone: (425) 771-7428
Email: lhf4@u.washington.edu
Laurie Ford, M.S., is the Director of the Region X TACE at CCER, and currently teach classes in the areas of working with people with psychiatric disabilities and Social Security work incentives; and in the national Certificate in Employment Services for People with Disabilities. Before coming to CCER in 1989, Ms. Ford helped develop and manage one of the first supported employment programs for adults with developmental disabilities. She also served on the Adequacy of Incentives committee that recommended changes to the Ticket to Work program. Ms. Ford and her husband have lived in Seattle for 30+ years and have three grown children. In her spare time she likes to play the piano, read, garden, and exercise. (OK, she doesn’t really LIKE to exercise, but she tries to do it anyway.)
Andrea Guest
Director
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
4425 N. Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19809
Phone: (302) 761-8275
Email: andrea.guest@state.de.us
Andrea Guest directed Employment Programs for the Easter Seal Society of Del-Mar for fifteen years prior to becoming Director of the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Ms. Guest worked as a consultant to the VR agency on the supported employment state change grant. She also served as President of the Council of State Adminstrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) 2010 to 2011 and is a chair on the Employment Committee of the Governor's Commission for Community Based Alternatives. Ms. Guest is also a member of the State Advisory Council for Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, the state team for the Alliance for Full Participation, and the State Rehabilitation Council.
Jim Hanophy, M.S., CRC
Assitant Commissioner
DARS-Division for Rehabilitation Services
4900 North Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78751
Phone: (817) 727-1296
Email: jim.hanophy@dars.state.tx.us
Jim Hanophy, M.S., CRC, has 31 years of professional and volunteer experience working with adults and children with disabilities. He has held a variety of administrative and clinical positions in Texas, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Jim is the Assistant Commissioner with the Division for Rehabilitation Services within the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services. Prior to assuming the duties as Assistant Commissioner, Jim was a Program Specialist with DARS. His areas of responsibilities included: Customized Employment Services, Employment Services, Case Consult, and Business Development. Jim has focused his attention on streamlining business practices to assist businesses to hire qualified workers who have disabilities. Prior to joining DARS, Jim worked as an Organizational Consultant with the University of North Texas and served as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions. Jim provided training and technical assistance to Community Rehabilitation Providers in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico and worked extensively with school districts to successfully transition students with disabilities from school to adult life. Jim is currently the President of the Council of State Administrators for Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. Jim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Binghamton University and a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from West Virginia University. Jim has coached youth and adult soccer and youth basketball for over 30 years. Jim and his wife Becky have two sons. Josh is 19 and is a sophomore Texas A&M University and Carter is 18 and is a freshman at Oklahoma State University.
Oscar Jiménez, MPH
Director
Community and Economic Division
New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc.
1 Columbia Place
2nd Floor
Albany, NY 12207
Phone: (518) 728-9447
Email:
Oscar Jiménez, MPH, is the Director of Community and Economic Development for the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS). In this capacity Oscar oversees the implementation of several projects aimed at improving the economic self-sufficiency of individuals in mental health recovery. Oscar provides leadership to the WE Can Work/WE Can Save, campaign that seeks to empower individuals in order to achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency through the development and dissemination of hope-building tools. He is also part of the management team of Real JOBS NY, a collaborative effort between the Workforce Development Institute, Syracuse University Burton Blatt Institute, and NYAPRS, with the goal of providing recovery-oriented employment services to individuals. During the past three years, Oscar has also provided oversight to NYAPRS’ work under the NYS Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. In 2009 his work included the development of the report “Policy and Program Recommendations to Address the Systemic Barriers to Employment Among People with Psychiatric Disabilities in NYS,” a policy research project conducted in collaboration with Mr. Joe Marrone (University of Massachusetts Institute for Community Inclusion). In addition, Oscar coordinated an effort to build a peer employment support model. In 2010 and 2011 Oscar has coordinated an initiative to build the capacity of Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services (PROS) to provide Employment Network services. Oscar obtained a Master of Public Health from Columbia University (2003) and a Bachelor of Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (1996). Before coming to NYAPRS, Oscar served as Training Coordinator for New York State ARC – Ulster-Greene Counties, Officer of Research at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, International Consultant of the United Nations Population Fund, and Research Associate at the Catholic University of Peru. Oscar’s main passions are reducing socio-economic inequalities in mental health, developing strategies to reduce poverty and improve economic self-sufficiency among people in recovery, and expanding the peer support and peer-delivered services.
John Lui, Ph.D., CAGS, MBA, CRC
Executive Director / Adjunct Professor / Co-PI
Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute
221 10th Ave
VR101A
Menomonie, WI 54751
Phone: (715) 232-2470
Email: luij@uwstout.edu
John W. Lui, Ph.D., MBA, CRC, is the Executive Director of University of Wisconsin – Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute. Its Centers provide research, training, rehabilitation technology and various rehabilitation and employment services. He has had many leadership roles with the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) and its Professional Divisions, and the Certified Disability Management Specialist Commission (CDMSC). He is currently the Co-PI of the RRTC-Evidence-based Practice in Vocational Rehabilitation Service Delivery. He is also a member of the Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education (APOE) with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services. He has presented nationally and internationally, and published extensively in the areas of Benefits Counseling, Managed Care, Case Management, Ethics, Disability Management, Absence Management, Health and Productivity Management, Aging and Work-Life Planning.
Terry Martin, Ed.D.
Technical Assistance Specialist
Rehabilitation Services Administration
550 12th Street, SW
Room 5012
Washington, DC 20202
Phone: (202) 245-7275
Email: terrence.martin@ed.gov
Terry Martin, Ed.D., has a Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Doctorate in Human Resource Development, from The George Washington University. He has worked in the field since 1980, as a Research Assistant with the GWU/Research & Training Center, staff support with the GWU/Regional Rehabilitation Research Institute, Rehabilitation Counselor with the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, Human Resource Development Specialist with the GWU/Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program, and Training/Quality Assurance Manager with the Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Program. Currently, he is a Technical Assistance Specialist with the Rehabilitation Services Administration/State Monitoring and Program Improvement Division. He lives with his Wife, Caroline, in Springfield, VA. They have two sons, Adam, a 2005 graduate of the University of Virginia, and Dan, a 2009 graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University.
Chacku Mathai
Associate Executive Director
New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc.
1 Columbia Place
2nd Floor
Albany, NY 12207
Phone: (518) 436-0008 ext. 22
Email: chackum@nyaprs.org
Chacku Mathai is an Indian-American, born in Kuwait, who has over twenty-five years experience in mental health and community based services in a wide variety of roles including peer advocate, peer support meeting facilitator, self-help educator, community organizer and educator, community residence manager, psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner, trainer and program administrator. He currently serves as the Associate Executive Director for the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services and is an implementation partner for the New York State Center of Excellence for the Integration of Care (CEIC) and the SAMHSA Recovery to Practice Resource Center for Mental Health Professionals. He also serves as a founding board member and advocate for Friends of Recovery – New York, a statewide coalition of people in recovery from addiction and is a former member of the Commission that oversees the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) Certification Program for Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners (CPRP). Chacku is regularly invited to train across the country on peer support, leadership, advocacy and exemplary, integrated practices in supporting people with psychiatric disabilities, diagnoses, trauma related conditions and co-occurring conditions. Chacku’s personal experiences as a consumer of mental health and addiction services in New York launched Chacku and his family towards a number of efforts to advocate for improved services and alternative supports in the community.
Feliciano "J" Morrow, M.A.
Owner
Morrow Consulting, LLC
10658 N Oak St
Hayden, ID 83835
Phone: (208) 651-2413
Email: jmorrow@morrowconsulting.com
Feliciano “J” Morrow, M.A., is the owner of Morrow Consulting, LLC. Mr. Morrow has a Master’s degree in Human Factors Psychology and specializes in user-centered design and analysis of complex systems. He has designed custom web and database applications for multiple state and federal government agencies. His programming and relational database experience spans the range from a fully distributed knowledge management system developed in ASP.net to custom databases created in Microsoft Access. His background includes degrees in both mathematics and psychology.
Stephaine Parrish Taylor
Administrator
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Oregon Department of Human Services
500 Summer St NE, E-87
Portland, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 945-6201
Email: Stephaine.Taylor@state.or.us
Stephaine Parrish Taylor is the Administrator of Oregon's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. She has a long history of working on disability employment issues. Stephaine has worked in community mental health and in vocational rehabilitation as a counselor and branch manager. Prior to becoming Administrator of OVRS she served as chair of the Commission for the Blind and co-chair of Disability Rights Oregon. She serves on a number of advisory groups.
Amy Porter, CRC, Sc.D.
Director
Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
25 Sigourney Street
11th Floor
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 424-4864
Email: amy.porter@ct.gov
Amy Porter, CRC, Sc.D., is the Director of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services. The Bureau houses three major units: Connecticut’s General Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program, Disability Determination Services, and the Connect to Work Center. Ms. Porter has worked in the Public VR Program for almost twenty years in a variety of positions, focusing on comprehensive systems to support employment of individuals with disabilities. In her role in the administrative offices of VR Programs in both Connecticut and New Hampshire, Ms. Porter has served on national committees addressing employment barriers for individuals with disabilities, particularly individuals receiving Social Security benefits.
Jim Rothrock
Commissioner
Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services
8004 Franklin Farms Drive
Richmond, VA 23229
Phone: (804) 662-7000
Email: james.rothrock@drs.virginia.gov
Bio coming soon.
Tony Sauer, M.A.
Director
California Department of Rehabilitation
721 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 558-5800
Email: tsauer@dor.ca.gov
Tony Sauer, M.A., is the Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, which serves nearly 115,000 people with disabilities annually. He served as Executive Director of the Nevada-Sierra Regional In-Home Services Public Authority from its opening on April 1, 2003 to July 2007. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of External Affairs, California Department of Rehabilitation from 2001 to 2003 and as the Executive Director, FREED, Center for Independent Living 1994 to 2001.
Virginia Selleck, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Transformation
Clinical Director, Comprehensive Psychiatric Services
Missouri Department of Mental Health
PO Box 687
1706 Elm Street,
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-8027
Email: virginia.selleck@dmh.mo.gov
Dr. Virginia Selleck has worked in the rehabilitation field for over 30 years. She has experience in program development, implementation, funding, legislation, and policy. Virginia is the Director of the Office of Transformation (Missouri Transformation Grant) and Clinical Director for the Comprehensive Psychiatric Services Division of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. She works with Division staff and community stakeholders to create policies, practices and technical assistance methods that will lead to enhanced recovery outcomes for people with serious mental illness. Previously, she was a Supervisor in the Adult Mental Health Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, working on policy and technical assistance, mental health grants management, and diverse liaison services. Prior to moving to Minnesota in 1992, Dr. Selleck worked at Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center in Chicago, Illinois. She worked in all facets of the program, as well as supervising Thresholds’s federally funded Research and Training Institute. Her early career was spent in Southern Illinois as a “circuit riding” community mental health counselor with the Egyptian Public and Mental Health Department.
James Smith, M.A.
Budget and Policy Manager
Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
103 South Main Street
Weeks 1A
Waterbury, VT 05671
Phone: (802) 241-4480
Email: james.smith@ahs.state.vt.us
James Smith, M.A., is the Budget and Policy Manager of the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Currently, Mr. Smith oversees budget and policy and is the deputy to the director for the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. In that role, he also oversees the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s Work Incentives Initiative. This includes a statewide benefits counseling program for SSI and SSDI beneficiaries across programs. Vermont VR is the SSA Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) project for the state. The project also implemented a $1 for $2 Benefit Offset Pilot for SSDI beneficiaries. This pilot allowed SSDI beneficiaries to work and earn above a substantial level and keep a portion of their benefits. This pilot is designed to inform the SSA and ABT regarding the implementation of a national benefit offset study started in 2010. The results from the Vermont study demonstrated that beneficiaries with a gradual offset were more likely to earn above SGA. These results were published in the Journal of Rehabilitation (Volume 77, Number 2.) Mr. Smith also served on the Adequacy of Incentives Advisory Group for the SSA Ticket to Work program in 2004. In 2004, Mr. Smith was co-author of a research article that demonstrated a link between benefits counseling and increased earnings for Social Security Disability beneficiaries (Journal of Rehabilitation, Volume 70, Number 2.). Prior to his involvement in Social Security and work incentive issues, James worked for fourteen years in the supported employment arena in Vermont and New York City.
Marie Strahan
Senior Advisor, Disability Programs
Social Security Administration
Email: marie.p.strahan@ssa.gov
Bio coming soon.
Donald Uchida, M.S., CRC, NCC, LVRC
Executive Director
Utah State Office of Rehabilitation
PO Box 144200
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200
Phone: (801) 538-7530
Email: duchida@utah.gov
Don Uchida, M.S., CRC, NCC, LVRC, was appointed the Executive Director of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation (USOR) in April of 2006. He is responsible for the overall administration of the USOR and its four Divisions: the Division of Rehabilitaion Services, the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and the Division of Disability Determination Services. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Weber State University and a Master's Degree in Special Education form Utah State University. Don has worked in vocational rehabilitation for over 42 years as a rehabilitation counselor, supervisor, district director, field service coordinator, division director and his present position as Executive Director of USOR. He is also a parent of a child with multiple disabilities. He is a member of the Council of State Administrators for Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), the National Rehabilitation Association (the other NRA), the Epliepsy Foundation of Utah, the Learning Disabilities Association of Utah, and the Autism Society of America.
Robert Weathers, Ph.D.
Deputy Associate Commissioner
Office of Program Development and Research
Social Security Administration
3501 Security Blvd.
128 Altmeyer Building
Baltimore, MD 21235
Phone: (410) 966-7870
Email: robert.weathers@ssa.gov
Dr. Robert R. Weathers II is the Deputy Associate Commissioner of the Office of Program Development and Research at the Social Security Administration (SSA). His current research focuses on evaluating the effect of SSA sponsored demonstration projects designed to improve the health and employment of SSDI beneficiaries. He has published papers and policy briefs that describe the effects of disability policy on the employment and program participation of individuals with disabilities. He has also written guides on using national survey data to examine the population of individuals with disabilities.
The SGA Project H235L100004 is funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education.
