Optimize Your Office – Simple Ways to Boost Efficiency and Effectiveness

Cathie Axe is the Executive Director of Johns Hopkins’ Student Disability Services. She is responsible for overseeing and developing disability services across the university to increase accessibility and inclusion. With over 30 years of higher education experience, and 27 of those years managing disability services at a variety of institutions, she has had the opportunity to actively engage in the evolution of services and perspectives around disability, accessibility and inclusion. Cathie received her Master’s in Education with a focus on Counseling and Development at George Mason University where she also got her start in disability services. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at Brown University in Economics. Her work in disability services has spanned a variety of institutions including Northern Virginia Community College and American University where served as an LD/ADHD specialist. Her most recent role was as Associate Dean and Director of Accessibility Services at Brown University where she spent almost 16 years.

Ed Beason, Ph.D. is a former TNAHEAD President, and has presented at AHEAD Pre-conferences and at Accessing Higher Ground. He currently works for Tennessee Tech University’s Accessible Education Center. 

Susan (Sue) Mann Dolce is an Associate Director of the UB Accessibility Resources office. Sue’s Ph.D. is in Rehabilitation Science and her clinical background is in Occupational Therapy, both which support the Participation Consultation Model she developed and uses in her work with UB students with disabilities. As Co-chair of the AHEAD Disability Studies Special Interest Group (DSSIG) at AHEAD since 2010, and now part of the Leadership Team of the Disability Identity Studies and Culture (DISC) Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), which emerged from the DSSIG, Sue is committed to working from a Disability Justice Transformational Model and working with others to facilitate change in day to day professional life. Her research and program evaluation interests include participation, disability studies, collaborative programming, and universal design and programming, including Universal Design Yoga, which she started at UB in 2009. Universal Design Yoga was a recipient of a 2014 SUNY award in student programming. Sue has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 40 years and is a registered yoga teacher through the Yoga Alliance (RYT) and certified through the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT).

Chester Goad, Ph.D. is President-Elect for AHEAD and has presented for AHEAD pre-conferences and AHEAD sessions and panels. Director of the Accessible Education Center at Tennessee Tech University, a 4 year public institution, Chester is also a JPED reviewer and AHEAD Start mentor.

Mandie Griewe joined the Marian University community as the founding director of the Personalized Learning Center in July of 2021. Prior to becoming a Marian Knight, she has had the opportunity to work within disability offices at Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, and Emory University over the last 10 years. Mandie enjoys having conversations with faculty, staff and students around accessibility being a shared responsibility and is working diligently to ensure that Marian University is a place where access is at the forefront. Over the last year Mandie has worked hard to support change within the campus culture, through building relationships, updating language and processes, writing policy, and getting buy-in from campus faculty, staff, and students alike.

Paul Harwell is currently the Associate Director of ADA/504 Compliance in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity at Dartmouth. Paul is nationally recognized for his work in higher education and disability. His work is grounded in the principles of civil rights and barrier removal being shared responsibilities across institutions. A 16-year higher education and disability resource professional, Paul has extensive experience supporting students, faculty, staff and public access and accommodation. He is passionate about supporting the development and growth of others and serves as a mentor to colleagues and students at Dartmouth and around the country. Currently, Paul is responsible for leadership on campus-wide disability access via policies, procedures, and training. Paul is a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration at Texas A&M University, with a focus on higher ed law, policy, and finance. His dissertation topic is about university faculty experiences teaching students with disabilities.

Dr. Crystal Hill is the Director of TWU's Disability Services. Prior to joining TWU, Crystal served as Director of the Disability Resource Center at The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) for 18 years. Crystal holds a B.A. in Psychology, an M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy with a Higher Education Specialization from the University of Arkansas. Crystal is co-founder of College Bound Arkansas, a post-secondary transition camp for disabled students. Crystal is currently serving as Director-at-Large on the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) board of Directors, and formerly chaired AHEAD’s Race, Ethnicity, Diversity, and Disability K&P. Crystal has served as an adjunct instructor within the Psychology Department of the University of Central Arkansas, where she taught general psychology.

Rosemary (Rose) Kreston retired from Colorado State University in 2020 after 40 years as the director of the Student Disability Center (formerly Resources for Disabled Students). In that position, she saw the office develop from a two-person office (director; administrative assistant) to one that employed 10 professionals, 32 student staff, and 20 auxiliary staff. Rose has a M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling and is currently (trying) to complete her Ph.D. in Sociology. Rose identifies as a disabled person and she began her career at a time when documentation was not a requirement for students to receive support in gaining access in higher education. She has always approached her work as a partner with faculty and staff to ensure students with disabilities had access to all programs in which they wanted to participate. Rose has done extensive reading in Disability Studies which has given her a deeper understanding of Ableism and continues to recognize her own culpability in inadvertently being an ableist at times. While she has always been a member of the AHEAD Disability Identity, Studies and Culture (DISC) Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), she has recently taken on a greater leadership role for this Community. 

Maranda Maxey is Director for the Office of Disability Resources and the University's ADA /504 Coordinator at Appalachian State University. Maranda has nearly 20 years experience working within the field of disability resources and compliance. Maranda is a member of the National ADA Coordinators Association, the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and is heavily involved in North Carolina’s AHEAD affiliate where she has served on the Board of Directors for 8 years. Maranda consults with various constituencies including other universities and law firms on the Americans with Disabilities Act, specifically Title I and Title II along with process evaluation for efficiencies.

Adam Meyer, Ph.D. is the Director of the Student Accessibility Services office and of Inclusive Education Services at the University of Central Florida. He was previously the Director of disability resource offices at Eastern Michigan University and Saint Louis University. Adam has served on the AHEAD Board of Directors and on AHEAD Standing Committees. He presents regularly on documentation, the social model of disability, leadership and office operations, initial student interviews, office data, and budgetary basics. Adam worked in the intellectual disability field for nearly 10 years prior to working in higher education.

Mark Newmiller, Director of the Disability Resource Office, joined the DRO team in January 2003. A native of central New York, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from LeMoyne College, and a Master of Science degree in Special Education from the College of St. Rose. Mark has more than 25 years of professional experience working with students with disabilities. Throughout his career he has been responsible for teaching, evaluating, and determining the eligibility for services of students in a range of disability areas.  

Jen Dugger Spalding is the Director of the Disability Resource Center at Portland State University and has been in the field of disability resources and services for more than fifteen years. Jen has worked at PSU since 2012. Jen recently came off of a four-year stint with the board of AHEAD where she served three years as a Director at Large and then one year as the board’s Equity Officer. Jen also served 12 years as co-chair of the LGBTQA Knowledge and Practice Community for AHEAD. Jen proudly served four years on the board of the ACLU of Oregon (2014-2018) as well. Jen says that one of the best parts of her job is working with disability services professionals to find creative solutions to address the latent ableism within the field. As a white, cisgender, queer woman who does not identify as having a disability or being disabled, Jen (she/her) understands the gravity of leveraging power and privilege for those experiencing more barriers.

Elizabeth (liz) Anh Thomson (they/them), PhD, is Director at the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Intercultural Programs and Asst. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Minneota Morris. They identify as disabled, queer, and a Vietnamese adoptee. They have been working in higher education for nearly 25 years teaching and organizing co-curricular programs. Liz has served as an adjunct instructor in Asian American Studies and Women's Studies, guest lecturer in Disabilities and Human Development, and an academic support course instructor. Their experience includes facilitating programs using dialogue methods; organizing large, campus wide diversity and inclusion programs and events; and working relationships centered in collaboration and community building. Liz recently earned their PhD in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Their academic research is exploring the new phenomenon of disability cultural centers in U.S. higher education. They hold an M.A. in Women and Gender Studies from Roosevelt University and a B.A. in German and Sociology/Anthropology from Lake Forest College.