Executive Council Biographies

Vinson Ballard has diligently matriculated in areas of accommodating others for more than twenty years. Some capacities served included the following: ADA Compliance Officer, administrator, university counselor, housing personnel, instructor, academic advisor, tutor-counselor, recreation administrator, coach, security specialists, motivational speaker and consultant. He currently serves as the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator at Jackson State University and has served in that capacity for more than four years and pioneered the one at Mississippi Valley State University. Having experienced many aspects of accommodations, he has been afforded the opportunity of gaining will rounded perspectives, e.g. local, state, regional, national and other aspects.

Additionally, he has leadership experience in the areas of accommodations, diversity, multi-cultural development, leadership and awareness/ sensitivity training, and emergency and response. Some selected roles have included the following:
" Former Chairperson, Council of Diversity, Secretary, Executive Council, (Association on Higher Education and Disabilities) AHEAD
" Current, Chairperson, Diversity Initiative, AHEAD
" Current, Co-Chair, Emergency Preparation, SIG, AHEAD
" Current, Co-Chair, Race Ethnicity and Diversity in Disabilities, SIG, AHEAD
" Current, President, National Advisory Board, National African American Student Leadership Conference
" Current, Secretary, Mississippi AHEAD
" Former President, Mississippi Association of Multi-Cultural Counseling and Development (MAMCD)
" Former, Member, Executive Committee, Mississippi Counseling Association (MCA)
" Former Health Commissioner, Clarksdale Presiding Elder District, Eighth Episcopal District, AMEC

He also has received additional training in ADA Compliance Officer training and in the area of accommodations, some of which include:

" Accommodating Individuals with Austin and Asperger's syndrome: Yale University; New Haven, Connecticut, 2005
" Disabilities Studies and the University, Modern Language Association, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 2004
" Southeast Disabilities and Technical Assistance Center (SDTAC) Leadership Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004

Having been educated in the Mississippi, he received a B.S. and M.S Degrees from Mississippi Valley State University and received further studies in Public Policy at the University of Mississippi and theology from Reformed Theological Seminary. He cherishes the thought of pursuing being a champion in family, service, community, humility, faith and keeping a song on the inside of our hearts so that we can bless others on the outside with the "song of actions." (back)

Patrick Cooper is the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities at Millsaps College. He serves on the Executive Council of Mississippi AHEAD as the representative for Mississippi's private colleges. (back)

Jamy Dickson is currently the Coordinator of Disability Support Services for Hinds Community College, Raymond Campus, located in Raymond, MS. Jamy has a Master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation and Deafness from the University of Tennessee and has worked in the field of Services for Persons with Disabilities for seventeen years. (back)

Evelyn Ellis-Washington presently serves as the Academic Counselor, ADA/504 Coordinator and the Office of Civil Rights Officer at Coahoma Community College. Evelyn is a member of the National AHEAD and the MS AHEAD Organizations. She also serves on the Executive Council as the Community and Junior College's public and private two-year institution representative. My goal is to collaborate with my colleagues on the many issues that they face on a daily basis in their process of assisting students living with a disability to achieve academic success. My goal is to assist my colleagues in breaking the academic and architectural barriers that students living with a disability experience. (back)

Suzy B. Hebert, M.S., has worked at the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) at the University of Southern Mississippi for the past nine years. Currently, she is the ADA Compliance Officer and the Director of ODA. Prior to joining the Southern Miss's disability staff, she gained both training and experiences in the fields of mental health counseling and pharmacy. As a Pharmacist, she has worked 10 years in medical-surgical and psychiatric hospitals. She maintains her licenses to practice pharmacy in Mississippi and Louisiana. After completing a masters degree in Counseling Psychology at Southern Miss, Suzy earned the certification of a National Certified Counselor and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Mississippi. Working five years in the mental health field, she's had a variety of experiences, including Therapist, Internship Coordinator, Therapist Coordinator, and Program Coordinator for outpatient and partial hospital programs. She is also the co-author of the book of Psychotherapist's Resource on Psychiatric Medications (1st and 2nd eds.). (back)

Kendrick Kennedy is a senior at the University of Southern Mississippi and is currently President of the Student Government Association. His term as president is ending. However, Kendrick in tends to rum for the presidency again this fall. He is earning a Business Administration of MIS degree, while also being a student in the USM Honors College with plans to attend law school.

Raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Kendrick has recently been honored with The Sun Herald Excellence in Business Awards, Outstanding Academic Achievement in Business Administration, and He received an Outstanding Student Award for Academic Achievement and Community Involvement presented by the USM Office of Disability Accommodations.
Kendrick works passionately to give blind and disabled individuals opportunities. He is the local chapter president of the National Federation of the Blind; he also serves as a state board member of the Mississippi Affiliate of the NFB. This year he was selected to serve on the National Federation of the Blind National Scholarship Committee. When asked what accomplishments he is most proud of Kendrick said, "First, in whatever I do I put heart and soul into it," and "Two achievements come to mind, being the first student representative on the Mississippi AHEAD Executive Committee, and being granted the honor of being student body representative, to meet President Bush in 2006. (back)

Kim McNeel is the Special Populations Coordinator at Meridian Community College. For the past eleven years Kim has been responsible for ensuring the college is in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. She is currently serving as a mentor with the American Association of Community Colleges' Project Reach Grant. Prior to working at Meridian Community College, Kim worked as a special education teacher and served as the Local Survey Committee Chairman. Education - Masters degree in School Counseling, Bachelor of Science degree in Social Studies Education, and certified to teach K-12 special education. (back)

Iris Menge is currently the Special Populations Support Services Coordinator at the Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and held the same position at the Jefferson Davis Campus. Prior to coming to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Iris held administrative positions at the University of Southern Mississippi. Iris has a B.S. in Secondary Education from Louisiana State University, M.S. in Adult Education and Ed.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. (back)

Stacey A. Reycraft has worked in the field of disability and higher education for 11 years. She is currently the Director of Student Disability Services at The University of Mississippi. A founding member, and current president, of the Mississippi Association on Higher Education and Disability, Stacey has worked closely with the national Association on Higher Education and Disability, several times serving on the Program Committee for their yearly conference, as well as acting as a session moderator, new member mentor and volunteer. (back)

Stacey's areas of special interest include issues of transition from high school to college, accessibility and technology, and mental illness. She has given presentations on these issues for the Mississippi Association on Developmental Education, the UM WebMaster's Camp, various north Mississippi high schools, the Creating Future through Technology 2007 Conference, and the Mississippi community colleges' Computer Information Systems faculty. She has also worked closely with the Mississippi office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and serves a facilitator of a support group for loved ones and family members of those living with a mental illness.

A resident of Oxford, Mississippi, Stacey currently serves as the chairperson for the Mayor's Committee on Disability Issues. In this role, she assists the Mayor and the Board of Alderman in bringing an increased awareness of disability issues to the City of Oxford.

Stacey is committed to promoting the equality of opportunity and the decrease of physical and attitudinal barriers for those with disabilities. (back)

Debra West is a graduate of East Arkansas Community College (A.A.); the University of Memphis (B.S. in Physical Science, M.S. in Geography); and Mississippi State University (Ph.D. in Community College Leadership). Her doctoral dissertation examined Community College Presidents Awareness of Disability Law in Higher Education.

In 2005, Debra began work in the Career & Technical Education Division of the MS State Board for Community & Junior Colleges as a Special Projects Coordinator, coordinating civil rights compliance activities among the 15 community and junior colleges. It was during this time that she realized the need for a formalized professional development organization for higher education disability service providers in Mississippi. She applied for and received a grant through the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities in order to fund Project ACCESS, which has covered much of the startup costs for the organization now known as Mississippi AHEAD.

In July 2005 she was named Program Specialist for Career and Technical Education at the SBCJC; and in July 2006 she was promoted to Director of Career & Technical Education in the newly established Division of Workforce, Career & Technical Education. (back)

Dorothy Young has been with Project START since August 1, 2005. Prior to Project START Director she was a counselor for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind. In this position, Ms. Young was responsible for helping blind or visually impaired clients regain or maintain employment. As the Project Director she provides the interface between the Project and its staff, the Advisory Council and the Department of Rehabilitation Services. She specifically deals with all the sub-grants of the Project in regards to training, demonstrations, loaning of equipment and other AT services. Dorothy has Master's degree in Counselor Education, a Minor in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of South Alabama and a Master's of Science in Management from Belhaven College. She is also certified as a Vision Specialist from Mississippi State University. Ms. Young has for last five years worked with many organizations in providing services to individuals with disabilities. (back)

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