Our Staff and Board

Our Staff Team

Kimberly Meck is a middle aged, white female with shoulder-length wavy hair. She is wearing silver hoop earrings and smiling into the camera.

Kimberly Meck, MRC, CRC, CDMS - Executive Director

Kimberly (she/her) has been at the helm of the organization since 2014, bringing more than 25 years of experience in social services. She has a master’s in rehabilitation counseling and an undergrad degree in social work. Kimberly sits on the board of the Washington State Independent Living Council.

Cassidy Thorne is a young white woman with shoulder-length straight brown hair and brown eyes

Cassidy Thorne - Programs Director

Born and raised in Seattle, Cassidy (she/her) is thrilled to be working alongside the disability community in her hometown. As a person with disabilities herself, she knows how important it is to ensure that people are aware of their choices and have the knowledge to make the decisions that are best for them and that align with their goals. She has a background in education and has worked at other Centers for Independent Living in Washington state and South Carolina.

Philip Bradford is a middle-aged white man with wavy brown and gray hair

Philip Bradford - Independent Living Specialist

Philip (he/him) focuses on addressing an individual’s unmet needs and specializes in helping other older adults. He shares a self-directed neurodivergent perspective living and working with a disability. For more than 20 years he has helped people with job searching and living independently.

Maria Peterson is a middle-aged Hispanic female with very dark brown shoulder-length curly hair. She is wearing eyeglasses, dark lipstick and black-and-white patterned blouse.

Maria Peterson - Independent Living Specialist

Maria (she/her) has more than 25 years of experience working in the social services industry and is currently working on her master’s in social work. Maria has worked in a variety of settings and with diverse populations. She has a passion for advocacy and is committed to serving the needs of individuals in the community with a personalized approach. She enjoys traveling, camping and spending time with loved ones.

Mandy Wes is a middle-aged, white female with a short, brown pixie-style haircut. She is wearing dangly earrings and is smiling into the camera.

Mandy Wes - Independent Living Specialist

Mandy (she/her), who has lived experience with various disabilities, received her Master of Arts in psychology from Antioch University in 2006. Mandy started working at Disability Empowerment Center in 2018. She has previously worked in various social services settings and briefly had her own private practice as a licensed therapist. Mandy attributes her emotional healing and wellness to the communities in which she is a part. She is passionate about walking with others on their healing journey, as well as modeling self-advocacy, mindfulness skills and adaptability.

Terry Jones is a black middle-aged man with brown eyes and a goatee. He's wearing a brimmed hat.

Terry Jones - Independent Living Specialist

Terry (he/him) has a long history of community service involving support and assistance for persons facing challenges of everyday life. As a Peer Support Specialist for Seattle Counseling Service, he linked unhoused persons with HIV or at risk for HIV with resources for medical and housing support. He has faced his own challenges with drug abuse and depression and credits organizations like Disability Empowerment Center for his own recovery. He offers an empathetic and compassionate approach to helping community members live their most productive and fulfilling lives.

Reagan Wheelock - Independent Living Specialist

Born and raised in Auburn, Reagan (he/him) will be based in our Auburn office to serve the South King County community. He has a degree in history from Northwest University, which is where his passion for community change, legislative/individual advocacy and public service began. Reagan credits growing up with a family member who had a disability and having his own mental health journey as the sources of personal experience and an understanding of the importance of community resources and individualized support. His goal in work and life is to help people move forward by providing a compassionate, dedicated and personalized approach to support and service planning.

Leanna Namovic has short-cropped brown hair, brown eyes and is wearing a sweater and dangly earrings

Leanna Namovic - Programs Director

Leanna (she/her) is passionate about enabling individuals with disabilities to make informed decisions about their lives and futures. She has a doctorate in occupational therapy and appreciates the opportunity to work alongside her fellow disabled community within the independent living model. She enjoys introducing newly disabled individuals to the independent living model and the idea of Disability as a culture, not a simply something to "overcome."

Headshot of Mariel with shoulder-length brown wavy hair wearing glasses.

Mariel Woodley - Outreach & Education Coordinator

Mariel (she/her) is dedicated to assisting community members and connecting them with services for living their best lives. She became disabled as a young adult, then went back to college and earned a master's degree in social work. She knows how critical it is to have the appropriate tools for overcoming obstacles to become empowered and successful.

Headshot of Cynthia a white woman with short dark blond hair and glasses

Cynthia Coffin - Program Coordinator

Cynthia (she/her) is passionate about working in the disability community on systems level advocacy. Raised in Oklahoma, Cynthia has a master’s in social work from the Metropolitan State University of Denver. She has done advocacy work in Oklahoma and Colorado, including testifying for legislation that affected the disability community and interning at an independent living center in Denver. Cynthia enjoys hanging out with friends, going to the movies and getting involved in advocacy organizations that impact the disability community.

Headshot of Lucy Bert, a young white woman with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes

Lucy Bert - Executive Assistant

With a background in classical theatre, storytelling and the visual arts, Lucy (she/her) seeks to make the arts accessible, sustainable and humane. Mental health and the arts often go hand-in-hand, and she hopes to destigmatize neurodivergence and help build a healthier, more inclusive arts and learning community in Seattle and beyond—particularly for young people and teens with disabilities.

Christine Dodson - AmeriCorps ADA Educator

Christine Dodson (she/they) has a lifetime of lived experience with invisible disabilities that drives her passion for justice. With a background in nursing, education and experience as a long-term care ombudsman, Christine brings a unique approach to systems advocacy and ADA education. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2013 and a Master of Public Administration in 2015. She is not afraid to speak up, speak out and be heard for disability rights advocacy.

Headshot of Christine, a middle-aged white woman with chin-length wavy hair who wears glasses and a patterned scarf.
Colin is a young white man with dark brown hair. He's wearing a black sweatshirt

Colin Wilfrid - AmeriCorps KCDC Coordinator

Colin Wilfrid (he/they) lived on Mercer Island from 2008 to 2016 and has just recently moved back to the Seattle area. He graduated from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a major in political science and a minor in disability studies. As a person with autism, Colin has seen firsthand how important it is for people with disabilities to advocate for what they need to have the same opportunities as non-disabled people.

Our Board of Directors

Ather Sharif has black hair, a bit of black facial hair and round black glasses

Ather Sharif 

Ather (he/him) is a PhD student at the University of Washington, focusing on human-computer interaction and the intersection of accessibility, visualization and personalization. He is also a software engineer at Comcast and the founder of EvoXLabs, an initiative dedicated to bridging the gap between technology and people with disabilities. He is a member of the Accessibility User Advisory Group for the Office of the ADA Coordinator at the University of Washington. 

Steve Lewis has white wavy hair, a white beard and mustache and thin-framed glasses.

Steve Lewis, PhD

Steve (he/him) is a past board chair and longtime supporter of the organization. He is married and has two grown daughters and one cat. Steve says his experience on the board has been positive and fulfilling—and has given him a chance to meet, work with and help a number of people with different abilities and disabilities.

Grace Swanson has long, blond wavy hair. She is wearing a yellow jacket and is standing in front of a lake.

Grace Swanson

Grace (she/her) is a senior content designer at Expedia Group and a master's student in the Human Centered Design and Engineering department at the University of Washington. Previously, she worked in the journalism industry where she primarily covered education and student homelessness. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, running and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Doris Jeong has long brown hair with blond highlights and brown eyes

Doris Jeong

Doris (she/her) is a corporate paralegal at Expedia Group. Previously, she worked at the Department of the Navy in labor/employment law. For fun, she enjoys traveling, cooking and fashion designing.

Robert Blumenfeld has short gray hair, gray facial hair and wears wire-rimmed glasses

Robert Blumenfeld

Robert (he/him) was a staff member with Disability Empowerment Center for 25 years, during which he also served as Interim Director twice. He held roles as a job developer, office manager, program manager and Associate Director. Prior to Disability Empowerment Center, Robert worked in supported employment for a nonprofit whose focus was clients with intellectual and development disabilities.

Kunal Mehta has short, black hair and wears black-rimmed glasses

Kunal Mehta

Kunal Mehta (he/him) is a master's student in Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. He also serves as a research assistant in UW's computer science department. With diverse experience in financial services, utilities and nonprofits in India, Kunal's most recent full-time position was at an emerging art museum, where he led accessibility and inclusion initiatives. Outside of work, Kunal enjoys exploring various coffee blends, reading non-fiction and keeping up with sports.

Skyler Sinclair has pink hair covering their forehead and brown eyes.

Skyler Sinclair

Skyler Sinclair (they/them) is the director of engineering at ReFED, a nonprofit that fights climate change by reducing food waste. They’ve worked previously in voting rights promoting access to absentee ballots and in COVID activism fighting misinformation, and they see all of these issues as intersectional and related to disability advocacy. In their free time, Skyler loves to learn about their neighborhood, take their dog to the dog park, and (body depending) play saxophone in a brass band.

Vera Vetterli

Vera Vetterli (she/her) is a master’s student in the Couple and Family Therapy program at Antioch University Seattle. She plans to become a therapist and to work with other transgender and queer individuals. Vera is passionate about advocating for change and helping people navigate a world which doesn’t support their needs. In her free time she enjoys reading, board games and spending time with her friends.