Announcing the Winners of National APSE Board of Directors Election
Join Us in Welcoming
The Newly Elected & Re-elected
2020 National APSE Board of Directors
We want to thank everyone that took the time to run for the 2020 National APSE Board of Directors. As a testament to the dedication and commitment of APSE members, we once again had more qualified candidates than we had positions available.
APSE has continued to work diligently throughout this challenging time, and we thank our members for their patience and participation in the National APSE Board of Directors election process.
Congratulations to all and welcome to the National Board!
New National APSE Board Members
Pamela Grider-Cross, At-Large, Arkansas
Pamela Grider-Cross is a native of Arkansas for 57 years. She has been married to Curtis Cross for 20 years, and they have three beautiful daughters, Christian, Cayla and Cierra. They all share in her passion to advocate for people with disabilities. Pamela began her career as a Social Worker for the state of AR in 1993. During her career as a Social Worker; Pamela developed a special interest in servicing individuals with disabilities to assist and promote career opportunities. Her passion was great for this cause, so she began pursuing opportunities to incorporate this in her daily work. In 2000 Pamela founded the company Central Arkansas Disability Services Inc., located in North Little Rock, AR. She has served as owner/ CEO for 20 years; servicing individuals with disabilities in the area of Supportive Employment with emphasis on the following services (Job Development, Employment Placement and Job Coaching). Pamela secured a partnership with Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Program as a Nationwide Employment Network (EN), and advocate for individuals who has been denied Social Security Benefits.
Recently Pamela served as the Arkansas State Chapter President of Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) for ten years. Under her leadership she frequently partnered and collaborated with various state, federal and non-profits to increase employment opportunities for Arkansans with disabilities. She is known as a pioneer for Employment First in Arkansas. Pamela received her education in the Little Rock Public School system. She is a graduate of Little Rock Central High. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a double major in Sociology and Drama; she has a minor in Anthology with emphases in Sociology. Pamela also holds local and state certifications in the following areas: Employment Placement / Employment Network for Social Security Administration Job Development/Coaching and Benefit Representative for Social Security Administration. Supportive Employment and Discovery.
Duane Shumate, At-Large, Missouri
Duane Shumate, M.Ed. is the Director of Employment and Community Engagement at the Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities. Duane has worked in the field of employment services for individuals with disabilities since 1991. Currently, he is the Director of Employment and Community Engagement for the State of Missouri, Division of Developmental Disabilities. He is responsible for public policy development; implementing Employment First statewide initiatives; conducting training and technical assistance and fostering cross-systems collaboration. He is the current board president of Missouri APSE; the Missouri lead for the State Employment Leadership Network; chair of Missouri as a Model Employer; co-lead of Missouri’s employment first state leadership mentoring program; a member of the College of Employment Services national advisory committee; a member of the Institute for Community Inclusion’s technical expert panel for an Innovative Training Grant focused on VR services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and a past recipient of Missouri’s Administrator of the Year award. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Education and Counseling Psychology. Duane’s personal mission is to “inspire hope and create pride through employment”.
Kiernan O'Donnell, Northeast Delegate, Rhode Island
Kiernan "Kie" O'Donnell, CESP is an Associate Director at The Fogarty Center and Co-President of the RIAPSE chapter. Kie also is an ACRE instructor at The Sherlock Center, Co-Chair of the Rhode Island Employment First Task Force and has presented nationally. Growing up with family with disabilities, Kie also owes a lot to his mother who instilled values of inclusion working as a community resource advocate. Kie currently focuses his professional ambitions towards systems change and legislative outreach, namely, successful Take Your Legislator to Work Events. Kie is also known for his work on the Dan Habib documentary Intelligent Lives, whereas he believes fully in the power of employment to fight barriers of varying facets through community and business development. Kie received his Bachelor's from Rhode Island College.
Re-elected APSE National Board Members
Ryan Aldrich, At-Large, Connecticut
Julia Barol, Mid-Atlantic Delegate, Pennsylvania
Bridget Hassan, At-Large, North Carolina
Wally Tablit, At-Large, Washington
