Speakers
Anderson, Douglas
Douglas Anderson, Associate AIA, of Wheaton, Illinois, was elected Chair of the Access Board at a meeting of the Board on March 18. Anderson was first appointed to the Board by President Bush in 2003 and was reappointed to a second term in 2007. He is a Partner at LCM Architects in Chicago who assists both public and private entities in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Anderson advises clients, including Fortune 500 companies, on meeting the design requirements of the ADA and the Fair Housing Act.
"It is a privilege and honor to be asked to serve as Chair of the Board," Anderson noted in remarks to the Board. He called attention to the opportunities and challenges before the Board in leading the development, advancement and implementation of accessibility requirements. "I am confident that the Board will draw upon its considerable strengths to meet its strategic goals and to continue to serve as a leading resource on accessible design."
Anderson has been active in the work of the ADA since 1992, not long after most of its provisions became effective. Before joining LCM Architects, he worked at the Great Lakes Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, which is part of a national network of federally funded entities that provide guidance and training on the ADA.
Beatty, Paul
Paul Beatty is an Accessibility Specialist in the Board's Office of Technical and Information Services (OTIS). His primary duties are to provide assistance to Federal, state, and local governments and private sector entities regarding the requirements of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Paul also participates in the staff group developing a final rule on recreation guidelines and the staff group reviewing ADAAG revision proposals. From 1998 - 2000, he was the Designated Federal Official for the Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee. Prior to joining OTIS, he served as a Compliance Specialist in the Access Board's Office of Compliance and Enforcement, where he investigated and resolved cases involving potential and identified violations of the ABA. Beatty has also been employed as a Quality Assurance Specialist for the Department of Defense, and served in the Navy (both active duty and reserve). He holds a BA degree in Business Administration from Covenant College and a BS in Computer and Information Science from the University of Maryland, University College.
Botten, Bill R.
William(Bill) R. Botten, an Exercise Physiology graduate from the University of Kansas, joined the US Access Board in May of 2000. Previously, he was Director of the Office of Accessible Seating/Services for Centre Management, a national sports arena management company. His responsibilities included ensuring compliance with State and Federal accessibility requirements at all managed properties, as well as working with design and construction officials during arena construction and alterations. His training experience includes hundreds of presentations over the last 20 years to local, state, and national audiences on injury prevention, disability awareness and sensitivity, and accessibility issues.
He was part of a team that developed the new combined guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Architectural Barriers Act. Bill specializes in access issues related to recreation facilities and outdoor developed areas. He also provides technical assistance to the building design and construction industry as well as State and Federal agencies and consumers with disabilities.
Capozzi, David M.
David Capozzi is the Executive Director of the U.S. Access Board. The Access Board is the only Federal agency whose mission is accessibility for people with disabilities. David is responsible for $7 million in program expenditures and manages a staff of 26 professionals and support staff who develop accessibility guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act, Architectural Barriers Act, Telecommunications Act, and accessibility standards for electronic and information technology under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. He is also responsible for implementing the Board's Architectural Barriers Act enforcement program, along with the Board's training, technical assistance, and research programs.
David was previously Director of Project ACTION and Vice President of Advocacy for Easter Seals and was the National Advocacy Director for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
He graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo School of Law and was an honors graduate and Phi Beta Kappa recipient at SUNY at Buffalo with an undergraduate degree in Psychology.
Creagan, Tim
Mr. Creagan joined the US Access Board in 2006 to oversee standards development for electronic and information technologies. He currently serves as the Designated Federal Official for the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC). He was formerly the Director of Consumer Training for the Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) and before that he was the Director of Public Policy for Hearing Loss Association of America (formerly SHHH). Mr. Creagan is a nationally recognized expert on accessible electronic and information technology and telecommunications.
He has spoken and written extensively on disability rights, digital wireless telephones, Internet relay services, and interactive voice response systems. Mr. Creagan has testified before state legislatures and multiple federal agencies on the importance of assistive technology to people with disabilities. Mr. Creagan received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Gardner, Ronald J.
Ronald J. Gardner of Bountiful, Utah is a blind attorney and has practiced law for over 25 years. His legal work includes serving as Legal Director of Utah's Disability Law Center, Senior Trial Attorney for the Office of Chief Counsel and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah. He also served as Director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness in the graduate school at Louisiana Tech University and has taught Business Law as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University. Gardner received a law degree from Brigham Young University Law School and was named "Honored Alumnus of the Year" in 1999. He is President of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah. He was named to the Board by President Bush in 2007.
Greenwell, Peggy H.
Peggy H. Greenwell has been an accessibility specialist with the US Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) since November l992. Her responsibilities include providing technical assistance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS). She specializes in access issues related to recreation facilities and is coordinating the development of accessibility guidelines for facilities such as: sports facilities, amusement parks, play areas, golf facilities, swimming pools, boating and fishing facilities, and outdoor developed areas. Her work includes responsibility for the coordination of the Board's recreation rulemaking and has included three federal advisory committees, two of which were regulatory negotiations.
She is also responsible for the agency's training program. This includes the development of training programs and material for diverse audiences. The Board provides training through partnerships with various professional and trade associations, providing between 80-100 training sessions per year.
Before joining the Board, she spent l7 years as a Division Manager with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George's County, Maryland. At this agency she was responsible for the Special Populations Division that provided Community-Based Therapeutic Recreation Program for Individuals with Disabilities. Her responsibilities also included ensuring that the Department met all Federal and State accessibility requirements for buildings and facilities. As the ADA Coordinator for this Department, she coordinated the survey work for more than 150 buildings and 240 outdoor sites.
She has a Bachelor's in Science Degree from the University of Maryland in Recreation with a Therapeutic Recreation option and a Master's Degree from the University of Maryland, University College in General Administration. She is a frequent speaker before organizations in the design, construction, and facility's management industries and has developed numerous training programs and seminars for those responsible for the application of the Accessibility Guidelines.
Harding II, James R.
James R. ("J.R.") Harding II, Ed.D., of Tallahassee, Florida, is employed by the Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation as a Partnership Specialist for the Office of the Director. Dr. Harding brings to the Board a successful history of local and state advocacy resulting in more inclusive environments and policies for persons with disabilities. He is active in a variety of organizations and causes, including the Governor's Commission on Disabilities, the Florida Building Commission Waiver Council, the Commission for Transportation Disadvantaged, the Florida Disability Mentoring Day, the Business Leadership Council, and the Chamber of Commerce. He received a doctorate in higher education from Florida State University. Harding previously served on the Board from 2002 to 2006 and was named to a second term by President Bush in 2007.
Melick, Neil K.
Neil K. Melick of West Palm Beach, Florida is Director of the Construction Services Department of the City of West Palm Beach, Florida. He is a Florida Licensed Building Codes Administrator and International Certified Building Official, as well as a Florida Certified Building Contractor. Since 2003 he has served as Chair of the Florida Accessibility Advisory Council in the Department of Community Affairs whose members are appointed by the Governor. He is also a member of the Florida Building Commission's Accessibility Technical Advisory Committee. Melick is a former president of the Building Officials Association of Palm Beach County and previously chaired the Building Code Advisory Board of Palm Beach County of which he remains a member. He also has served as vice chairman of the International Code Council (ICC) International Building Code Interpretations Committee, chaired the ICC's Structural Action Committee, and served on the former Code Interpretations Committee of the Southern Building Code Congress International, which is now part of the ICC.
Williams, Thomas N.
Mr. Williams serves as National Accessibility Officer for GSA's Public Buildings Service, and is in charge of the agency's National Accessibility Program for buildings and facilities, supported by 11 Regional Accessibility Officers. He also serves as GSA's liaison to the U.S. Access Board. A registered and licensed architect in the District of Columbia, he has a 42 year architectural background spanning both the private and public sectors. His private sector portfolio includes multi-million dollar renovation projects, condominium projects, retail stores, laboratories and custom homes. He has held architectural positions in several Federal agencies, including the National Naval Medical Hospital, the National Institutes of Health and the GSA Central Office.
Yanchulis, Dave
Dave Yanchulis is a graduate of George Washington University (1987) and has worked at the Access Board since 1988 as an Accessibility Specialist responsible for technical assistance to Federal, state, and local governments and private sector entities regarding the requirements of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. In 1994, he was appointed Coordinator of Research, a position created to manage the research efforts that underpin the development of accessibility guidelines. Dave has also been active in rulemaking for both Title II and Title III guidelines for buildings and facilities and for transit vehicles. Most recently, he has developed guidelines for the accessibility of correctional and judicial facilities constructed by state and local governments and for elements used by children. Dave's magnum opus is the ADAAG Technical Assistance Manual, a comprehensive advisory on applying accessibility guidelines to design and construction projects. In May of 1998, Dave was appointed Coordinator of Public Affairs, taking responsibility for the Board's public outreach activities, including its bi-monthly newsletter, Access Currents.
