Katie Ashburner has been working to give a voice to vulnerable members of the community for over 10 years. Katie is a Forensic Interviewer at Blue Sky Bridge, the child advocacy center serving Boulder County. As a forensic interviewer, she is responsible for gathering the greatest amount of reliable information in a child-sensitive, developmentally-appropriate and legally-defensible manner during interviews with suspected abuse victims. She interviews both children and developmentally delayed adults regarding alleged victimization or as witnesses to a crime. Katie is passionate about social justice and is looking forward to serving the community in this new role. Katie serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Business or Non-Profit Representatives.
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Robin Bolduc is the mother to two adult children with IDD and the grandmother of a young adult with Autism. She has worked in the field of disability public policy at the state and national level for over 30 years. Robin is the founding member and first Director of Colorado Parent-to-Parent (P2P), a statewide support and advocacy group for over 2000 parents of children with disabilities. Robin is a former board member and current active member of Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, a coalition of people with disabilities and their families who work to impact public policy. Robin sits on several state and national committees impacting public policy relative to people with disabilities. Robin serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
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Deana Cairo, PA-C, JD, is a mother of two children living with IDD. She worked for many years as an attorney in the area of criminal and civil defense, with a pro bono practice that focused on civil rights. Deana also has a life-long interest in medicine and worked as both an EMT and Paramedic. Recently, Deana decided to pursue medicine full-time and she became a Physician Assistant. She currently works in Trauma Surgery at a Level 1 Trauma Center outside of Denver. In addition, she still practices law from time to time. Deana lives in Boulder with her husband, and children. In her free time, she enjoys hiking on the many trails Boulder has to offer. Deana serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
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Robert Enderson is a confident self-advocate who has had difficult life experiences but has made a better life for himself. Robert is President of the Boulder and Broomfield Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) chapter. He is a member of CO Speaking for Ourselves (SFO) which meets to talk about how to make life better for people with IDD. Robert is also a member of the Board of the Association for Community Living (ACL). Robert lives in Longmont and have lived in Boulder County his entire life. Robert serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
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Miranda Fisher was born and raised in Colorado, spending most of her school years in Nederland, Colorado. After graduating from Nederland High School, Miranda attended Colorado State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Technical Communications. Miranda received her Master’s in Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University in 2015 and is currently working on completing her Doctorate in Public Administration. Miranda has spent the last ten years working in a variety of different social service settings ranging from working with individuals with disabilities, people struggling with addictions, youth, the elderly, and volunteers. Miranda has worked with individuals with disabilities in five different states and most recently, served as the Regional Director for Aacres Nevada LLC, an agency that provides residential and transportation supports to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Miranda currently works as the Town Clerk with the Town of Nederland. Miranda serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Member at Large Representatives.
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Teresa Greene is currently employed by The Center for People with Disabilities as a Youth Independent Living Adviser. Teresa obtained her Bachelor’s in Child Development from California State University Fresno. Her focus has been on Special Education and Mental Health. Teresa has ten years of experience working with people living with disabilities from early education to adult support programs. Teresa has four children and has seen first-hand the struggles they have faced due to barriers. Teresa has spent her life educating herself so that she can advocate for her children as well as other people living with disabilities. Teresa is also a Host Home Provider for an individual with multiple disabilities. Teresa describes herself as a compassionate soul with a loving heart who has a realistic outlook on life and can find the humor in any situation. Teresa serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
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Bob Lawhead serves as Policy Advisor for the Colorado Developmental Disability Council, advocating in collaboration with people with developmental disabilities for systems change promoting independence, productivity and inclusion for people with disabilities. In addition, Bob serves as Co-Chair of Colorado’s Employment First implementation panel. From 1989 through 2016, Bob served as Executive Director of Community Link, an agency providing residential, employment and community connection services for people with developmental disabilities in Boulder County. Throughout his career Bob has promoted inclusion for people with cognitive disabilities through parent education, systems change consultation and public policy advocacy. Bob and his wife Anastasia have one child who experiences Down syndrome. His child lives in their own home with support provided by several roommates and has recently been hired by Cosmos Pizza to assemble delivery boxes and perform stocking duties for several hours each week. Bob serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Member at Large Representatives.
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Julie Marshall (Chairperson) is mom to a child who has autism and a seizure disorder. Julie created Brainsong when her child was in third grade. Brainsong is a nonprofit opening access to the professional art. It has grown, providing free art therapy for siblings, and free ASL classes for families living with different abilities. Brainsong has been a Community Foundation grant recipient for its “No Shushing” concerts that follow these rules: No Judging, No Explaining, No Apologizing. Brainsong with partners Expand and the Association for Community Living, was the catalyst for the first adaptive Nutcracker in Colorado three years ago with Boulder Ballet and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra at Macky Auditorium. Julie is the co-creator of the grant-funded city public art installation “What If Lafayette” and she continues to work as a freelance journalist after seven years as an associate editor for the Daily Camera. She is the author of Making Burros Fly: Cleveland Amory, Animal Rescue Pioneer (Big Earth, 2006). She lives in Lafayette with both of her children and husband who is a physician assistant at Kaiser. The family also includes three happy huge dogs and two finicky cats. Julie serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
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Tim Maxwell has worked professionally in support of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Boulder county for the past 10 years. Tim holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work, with an emphasis on community engagement. Tim founded 9in 2014) and currently operates Karuna Care Services, a residential services and support agency for adults with IDD. Tim holds a strong passion for supporting those with IDD to better access and participate within their own communities. Tim serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Business or Non-Profit Representatives.
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Dana Scritchfield is a family nurse practitioner. She is currently employed, working with patients in mental health facilities. Dana has five children and one grand-dog. Two of those five children have IDD, so she knows the challenges and struggles that can incur. Her passion and goal is to be a voice for this population of people. She is honored and very excited to be a member of the Advisory Council. Her hope is to be a positive advocate for the IDD individuals that live in our community, as well as a support for their families. Dana serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Member at Large Representatives.
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Anna Stewart (Vice-Chairperson) has three adult children, one with IDD. Her child has accessed services and supports from DVR, Social Security and Medicaid waivers and is very independent but continues to need more individualized resources to live the life that is wanted. Anna is the Parent, School and Community Liaison for BVSD’s special education department. She has facilitated parent network groups for 15 years and runs groups in Boulder and Longmont for parents who have teens and young adults with IDD. Anna is also a certified Common-Sense Parenting trainer and leads a writing group for parents of children with unique needs. She is a transition specialist, working with parents and professionals to connect resources and services to their loved one’s dreams. Anna is also the lead author of an e-book on Navigating Transitions to Adult Services in Boulder and Broomfield counties. Anna serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Member at Large Representatives. |