>> about NYLN

Meet the Governing Board

Board Officers & Chairs

President
Stacey Milbern:

Stacey is from North Carolina.  Her disability is a weak muscle tone.  She is studying Political Science at Methodist University. 

Stacey worked with youth to host the first Youth Leadership Forum in her state. She also serves on the State Independent Living Council (SILC). She has filled this role for the last 4 years. Her favorite areas are disability culture, media, and activism.

Vice President
Josie Badger:

Josie is 24 years old.  She grew up in Wampum, Pennsylvania. She has muscular dystrophy.  Josie is going to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Josie helped create a state Youth Leadership Network.  This network is for young people in Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Governor’s Council.  This council is for people with disabilities.  She really enjoys things that apply to transition.

Secretary/Treasurer
Claire Stanley:

Claire goes to the University of California Davis. She is studying political science and wants to go to law school. Claire has been a member of the National Youth Leadership network since the summer of 2005 and is now a member of the governing board.

Claire has been in many committees in NYLN. She has also been the chair of the Membership Committee. She is a member of the American Council of the Blind. She is a member of the ACB’s student group, the national Alliance of Blind Students.

Claire is also a part of the California Youth Leadership Forum. She is also a part of many clubs at school including Relay for Life, model United Nations, and Davis College Republicans. She is a leader in many of these clubs.

Accessibility Committee Chair
Hillary Jorgensen:

Hillary got her law degree from the University of Colorado in 2005.  She is now going to law school at Seattle University and she will get her law degree in May of 2008. 

Hillary wants to use her law degree to help make things more accessible.  She is happy to be working with NYLN.  She is also happy to be working with young people with disabilities.

Advocacy Committee Chair
Eleanor Canter:

Eleanor Canter is a person with a disability. She lives in Washington, D.C.  She works at the National Council on Independent Living.  She is an editor and designer.  She has a Degree in philosophy.  She worked for two years at a Center for Independent Living.  She was a Community Organizer. 

Eleanor likes writing about disability rights.  She is into bioethics (the study of morals in medicine).  She is into disability law and the future of the Independent Living Movement.  She likes to take pictures.  She also likes Russian novels and collects snow globes.

Public Outreach Committee Chair
Everett Deibler:

Everett is a 23-year-old senior at Millersville University.  He is majoring in psychology.  And he lives in Lancaster, PA. Everett has been an NYLN committee member for the last two years. He is currently the chair of the Public Outreach Committee.  This makes him the one in charge of the NYLN newsletter.

Everett’s main passion is transition.  In Pennsylvania he has worked with the State Department of Education.  He also serves as a board member for the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network. They put together presentations and plan conferences for youth and their families. He also works for a center for independent living and has presented at the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council.

Governing Board Members

Alan Chase:

Alan is a senior at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.  He is studying education for students with special needs.  Alan is on a panel for a disability group at his college.  He is also on the Governing Board of the North Carolina Youth Leadership Network. 

Alan is a member of a Board of Directors for his past school.  He also works as a tutor.  Alan likes helping people with disabilities.   He enjoys disability law and public policy.  He also likes to get involved in mentoring programs.  He likes activities in planning for crisis.

Jennifer Conrad:

Jennifer grew up in Southern California.  She went to San Diego State University.  She got her Bachelor's Degree there.  Then she went to law school at Syracuse University.  She was also in their Master's program for Education and Disability Studies. 

Now Jennifer works in Washington D.C.  She works for the Equal Rights Center.  She is the program manager.  And she focuses on disability rights.  In the past, she worked for: The Office of Disability Employment Policy, The Protection and Advocacy Agency of California, The Protection and Advocacy Agency of  New York, and The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

Jillian Kaiser:

Jillian is from Minnesota. She went to school and studied human services. She earned her associate’s degree in this. Now she is working on her bachelor’s degree. She specializes in disability advocacy.

Jillian took part in an advocacy program called Partners in Policymaking. She likes to be active in the community. And her interests are:  Self-advocacy, Transition, Education, Autism, and Photography.

John Lemus:

John Lemus is 23 years old.  He is from Spokane, Washington.  He works for The Arc of Spokane.  At work, he is a self-advocacy coordinator.  He serves on the Developmental Disability Council for Washington. 

John also helps with People First and the SAIL Coalition.  He focuses on healthy sexuality and relationships.  He also spends time finding ways for young people to learn about self-advocacy and freedom of choice. 

In his free time, John likes to be with friends.  He also likes music, animals, and public speaking.

Amy Litzinger:

Amy is going to school at Southwestern University.  This is in Texas.  She is a sophomore.  Her majors are English, political science and religion.  Going to graduate school is one of her goals.  She is a former vice chair of the Youth Advisory Committee for the National Council on Disability.  In the past, she was the chair of NYLN’s Mentorship Committee.  She likes advocacy, transportation, and assistive technology. 

She serves on the state Children’s Policy Council in Texas.  She also helps with the Youth Leadership Forum.  On campus Amy participates in Theatre for Social Justice.  Last year they worked with high school students.  Together they wrote a play about racial issues.  Amy also serves on Student Congress and on the Faculty Affairs Committee. She is a member of Sigma Phi Lambda sorority. 

Jennifer Mitchell:

Jennifer Mitchell is 25 years old and she was born with arthrogryposis.  She has been in a wheelchair since the age of 5.  She graduated summa cum laude from San José State in 2005 with a degree in Computer Science. 

Jennifer worked in a high-tech job for a year and a half, but she now enjoys multiple part-time jobs, including teaching.  She also plays power soccer for the San Jose Steamrollers.  Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ric Nelson:

Ric lives in Anchorage, Alaska.  He has lived there for ten years.  Now he is going to school at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.  He is working on his degree in business administration.  And he is specializing in business management. 

Ric serves on four boards to make a difference for people with disabilities.  Some day he wants to work for a business that focuses on improving the lives of those with disabilities.  He goes out of his way to help others help themselves.

Alicia Payne:

Alicia Payne is a 27-year-old from Wellston, Oklahoma. Ms. Payne has lived through a left/right brain injury.  In the last 10 years, she has tried to overcome any challenge she has faced. She is involved in many activities. 

Ms. Payne is director of a volunteer service, member of two state committees, and helps at a dance studio.  She is also member of the emergency management team where she lives.  Ms. Payne works to show youth with disabilities that their voices do matter and they can make a difference.

Lacy Pittman:

Lacy was raised in Memphis, Tennessee and she goes to the University of Tennessee.  Her major is marketing, and her minor is international business.  Last summer, she worked for the Department of Agriculture where she learned a lot about foreign policy. 

At school, she is in many clubs like my sorority, a marketing club, and an alumni club.  She serves on the U.S. Business Leadership Network, Community Advisory Council, and Diversity Services Career Committee.  She knows French and understands Spanish. 

Now, Lacy works at SunTrust Bank and babysits. In her free time, she likes to play tennis and golf, watch movies, and watch CNN. She is a funny person and loves to laugh.  Also, she loves to hang out with her family and travel.

Chelsea Tobin:

Chelsea Tobin grew up on a farm in South Dakota.  This is why she loves the outdoors.  While she is a Governing Board member, she will also be in school. 

Chelsea goes to college at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is a full-time student. And she is majoring in Deaf Education and Elementary Education.

Nathan Turner:

Nathan is majoring in political science.  And he goes to Wright State University.  He is a leader for youth with disabilities.  He served on The Mayor's Commission on Disability.  He also took part in Partners in Policymaking. 

Now he serves on a national youth advisory committee.  It's through the National Council on Disability.  He also serves on the Ohio State Independent Living Council.  He will become a civil rights lawyer.  And he hopes to inspire others.

NYLN Staff

Executive Director
Betsy Valnes:

Betsy is an Ex Official Mentor role with the National Council on Disability Youth Advisory Council. On an international level, she serves on the Roundtable Consortium for the National Clearinghouse for Disability and Exchange and the sole U.S. youth ambassador for the International Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, representing Inclusion for youth with disabilities and youth at-risk worldwide. Serves state programs such as the State Independent Living Council, the Traumatic Brain Injury Council, and the Youth Leadership Forum.

Betsy’s disability area of interests are educational and employment transition services, cultural diversity in regards to outreach, correctional facilities (awareness prior to entering, services within, and re-introduction to community life), self-advocacy training, and, conceptually speaking, setting and attaining goals, organization, and continued education.

In her free time, Betsy enjoys volunteering, drawing and painting, singing and piano-playing, cultural/religious activities--specifically those associated with the state penitentiary, cooking, cleaning, and mowing!

Linguistic Support Specialist
Elizabeth Guerrero:

Elizabeth is from Portland, Oregon.  She will help make our documents available in Spanish.  She sits on a national committee.  It’s called the National Center for Cultural Competence. 

In 2004, she got the Justin Dart Leadership Award.  Elizabeth loves teaching Latinos with disabilities.  She wants them to know about leadership.  She also teaches people about full-inclusion.

Development Specialist
Laura Hoffman:

Laura has a degree in government with honors from the University of Notre Dame.  She also has a law degree from Ave Maria School of Law.  She was given an award by her law school at her graduation in 2007.  Her award was for helping the poor.  Her job is with the Office of the Law Director for the City of Parma, Ohio. She works as a law clerk.  And she works with NYLN at the same time.

Laura has been a volunteer at the Ohio Youth Leadership Forum (YLF).  This has helped youth with disabilities in the State of Ohio.  Ms. Hoffman did many activities to help people with disabilities in college.  She was given an award by her college in 2003.  Her award was for helping people with disabilities.  As a law student, she worked to improve laws for people with autism.

Technical Support Specialist
Travis Hoffman:

Travis volunteers with NYLN, but he is also an Advocacy Coordinator.  He works at Summit Independent Living Center in Missoula, Montana.  Travis is also a Board Member for Disability Rights Montana, Montana’s Disability Protection & Advocacy Agency.  

Travis has a degree in Social Work from The University of Montana. He was an advocate for the Alliance for Disability and Students of the University of Montana (ADSUM). 

Travis was on the NYLN Governing Board from 2002 - 2006.  He was the Research Committee Chair.  Then he served as the Strategic Planning Officer.  Then he served as the Vice President.