Blog

APSE National Members Elected 2018-2019 Board Chair, At-Large Board Member and Regional Delegates

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeannette O’Connor
202-302-3268
Jeannetteroc@gmail.com

ROCKVILLE, MD – April 25, 2016. APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First) elected a new chair of the board, an at-large board member and three regional delegates to serve on the 2018-2019 Board of Directors.

“I am thrilled to welcome Heidi Maghan as the new Board Chair of National APSE and the other exceptional new board members as part of the APSE team. Heidi has been an outstanding board member for the past five years and has been an instrumental part of APSE growth,” said Jenny Stonemeier, Executive Director of APSE.  “Heidi is a passionate supporter of Employment First and is sincerely devoted to those she serves. I am excited to work with Heidi and the board over the next 12 months to continue National APSE’s mission to grow the Employment First movement.”

 

 

Heidi Maghan – Board Chair
Minneapolis, MN

Heidi Maghan has worked with individuals with disabilities for nearly 35 years. She has worked in residential, sheltered workshop, and community employment.  This allows her to have an understanding of where others are coming from and work with them to make positive changes.

For the past 23 years Maghan has been supporting individuals as they achieve their goals in community employment.  Before becoming the chair of the National APSE board, she was on the board as the Vice President and previously as the Delegates Chair.  Maghan has been involved in Minnesota APSE for the past 10 years serving as President, Vice President and treasurer.  Currently Maghan is the Director of Customized Employment at Kaposia, a founding member of the Employment First Coalition and a member of the Minnesota TAT Corps of Discovery.  Maghan has a B.S. in Physical Education, Developmental Adapted Physical Education, and Coaching from Mankato State University.  Maghan has shaped many of the policies at the state and local level. She lives her vision of respect, honor, and treat all people with dignity — while investing in their abilities and cultivating opportunities.

Southeast Regional Delegate – Courtney Horton
Wilmington, NC

Over 20 years ago, Courtney Horton started in the field as an Employment Specialist, and knew from day one that this would be her career. She was 18 and it was her first day of college, where she found a job on campus in the Students with Disabilities Program, which led her to the world of supported employment. Horton has taken part in moving facility-based programs into the community through the advocacy of integrated employment. She has worked in the areas of case management, special education, CAP services, transitional services, and adapted physical education. Horton received her bachelor’s degree in Human Services Management from the University of California Irvine and master’s degree in Public Administration from Phoenix University. Horton currently volunteers with Special Olympics, Camp Care in Nevada, Gathering Place, Transition Advisory Board for New Hanover County Schools, and the Vocational Rehabilitation steering committee. When she is not spending time with her college-age daughter, she enjoys traveling, off-roading, swimming in the ocean, and dinners with friends.

Southwest Delegate- Kelley Land
Lakewood, CO

Kelley Land works for the Center on Community Living and Careers as a Project Coordinator.  She has worked in the human service field for the last 12 years.  Her experience includes management, transition services, benefits counseling and program implementation. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and completed her master’s degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in Human Resources from Indiana Wesleyan.  She is also certified through Virginia Commonwealth University as a Community Work Incentives Coordinator. Land has served on the Indiana APSE board, several state work groups and currently sits on the National APSE Policy committee. Land holds a strong belief that all individuals should be empowered to live a meaningful and successful life within their community; this includes supporting individuals through their employment opportunities.

At-large Board Member- Kelly Nye-Lengerman
Minneapolis, MN

Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Ph.D., MSW, LGSW, is a Research Associate at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration.  Nye-Lengerman ‘s work provides critical linkages between research and service implementation with a strong emphasis on accessibility to individuals with disabilities and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Her interests include inclusive employment practices and policy, interdisciplinary collaborations, early screening and identification of disabilities, poverty, and autism. Nye-Lengerman has served on the Minnesota APSE Board of Directors since 2009, in the role of Secretary, Treasurer, and President.  She is a member of Minnesota Employment First Coalition, and Minnesota Employment Learning Community. She is also a licensed graduate social worker in Minnesota. Nye-Lengerman received her Ph.D. and MSW from the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work. In 2016, Nye-Lengerman was the recipient of the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) young professional award and APSE’s “Got Mike” Educational Leadership Award.

At-large Board Member-Ross Ryan
Portland, OR

Ross Ryan is a paid community advocate who represents people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the state of Oregon. In his role as a community advocate, he speaks on behalf of other people with disabilities that cannot speak up for themselves. He currently is a member of several committees that drive important systems and policy change including the Oregon Employment First Executive Order Stakeholder Group, the Oregon Health Authority Ombuds Advisory Committee, the Intellectual and Developmental Disability Budget Stakeholder Group, the Oregon Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Office of Developmental Disability Services Individual Support Plan Revision Work Group, and the Department of Labor Work Group. He is the lead for Oregon’s Developmental Disability Advocacy Days at the State Capitol, the co-creator of Oregon “peer-to-peer” employment project to transition people out of sheltered workshops, a leading voice in the Lane v Brown Settlement Agreement and a well-known local, state and national speaker on disability rights.

The Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) is the only national membership organization focused exclusively on integrated employment. Through advocacy and education, APSE advances employment and self-sufficiency for all people with disabilities.