Meet Your Mission-aligned Strategic Planning Consultants.

Consultant

Joy is an expert in building and maintaining authentic relationships with Spanish-speaking leaders in the disability field and helping to bridge the gaps in information access and equity for those who speak Spanish. A certified health interpreter with 16 years’ experience, and founder of Grapevine, Joy has studied and worked in Mexico, Oregon, and Spain. In addition to her work in interpreting and translating, Joy has studied Spanish literature, which helped her to develop a greater appreciation of the Spanish language and has taught Spanish at the undergraduate level. Joy lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and their three young children.

CONSULTANT

Kelli has worked in the field of developmental disability supports since 2006. During that time she has had the honor of working with others as a direct support, positive behavior support professional, community trainer, facilitator, and mentor. Through those professional experiences she has learned the importance of listening, understanding, and providing trauma informed supports. Her current focus is on collaborative work with self-advocates, families, organizations, and systems, to elevate the quality of support by implementing trauma-informed approaches. Kelli brings a blend of thoughtfulness and empathy to her development and facilitation of trauma-informed training programs tailored for communities. Her commitment extends beyond education, focusing on the cultivation of resiliency within communities. Kelli lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and sons.

Advisor

Jesse Monroe was born 44 years ago with a physical disability called Arthrogryposis, which severely constricts the movements of joints and muscles. Although he has full feeling, he has no use of his upper or lower extremities, except for his head and neck. Since 2017, he has lived independently in an apartment in Norfolk Virginia with DD Waiver services. He is an advocate both statewide and locally for people with disabilities – including as a past board member for The Arc of Virginia, as a member of a state self-advocacy alliance called “A Life Like Yours” and as a member of a local advocacy group, Our Voices. Over the years he has worked alongside fellow self-advocates on many issues, with some important successes including increasing Medicaid waiver slots and raising the reimbursement rates for providers of services. His aim is to fight for what is right.

ADVISOR

Shay Ruff is a Radford University graduate with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. She has been a self and community advocate in Roanoke, VA for nine years. She has worked in the field of Disability Rights professionally working with individuals and groups in a variety of roles for six years. Currently, she works as a Peer Mentor for The Arc of Southside. She is a member of the self-advocacy Alliance “A Life Like Yours". She has over 40 years of lived experience as an individual with Cerebral Palsy. Advocacy in all forms is important to her because she believes that everyone should be seen as equal and have equal access to services that will help individuals to build the lives they want.

ADVISOR

Pauline is a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ and I/DD community. In 2024, she celebrated the 20th anniversary of founding the Rainbow Group at MASS, and was honored with an award in her name for doing so. She has helped create nearly a dozen other Rainbow Support Groups in the region, and has plans to have more of an impact nation-wide. She has even made connections with similar groups in Canada and Australia! Pauline is driven to help LGBTQ+ individuals with I/DD feel more understood, informed, and respected.

EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR

Katrina's involvement with community organization and development started with her time at Virginia Tech, where she organized community events within her dormitory. Since college, she has both worked in and volunteered for non-profits in the environmental sciences field, children's programming, food banks, and self-defense training. Katrina brings her passion for community development and access to resources to the team and her enthusiasm for connecting with others.