PEATC is governed by a culturally and geographically diverse Board that includes a majority membership of parents of children with a full range of disabilities. Members also include professionals in related fields, self-advocates, university representatives, legal and business experts.
If you are interested in joining the board of directors, please complete this form and email it to bowers@peatc.org or mail to:
PEATC
403 Holiday Court, Suite 104
Warrenton, VA 20186
John Kelly
President
Mr. Kelly most recently served as SourceAmerica’s Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy. SourceAmerica is a non-profit organization that maintains a network of more than 700 other non-profits employing over 80,000 people with significant disabilities. John joined SourceAmerica in 2001, and he leveraged his extensive background in disability policy to ensure that individuals with disabilities had a strong voice on Capitol Hill.
Prior to assuming his current role as President, John worked in several SourceAmerica divisions including regional and national operations. John is currently the president of Workability International, an organization connecting nonprofits and businesses across the globe that champion rights and opportunities for people with disabilities. He served as chair of the Prince William County Special Education Advisory Committee and chair of the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (Virginia’s gubernatorial appointed Developmental Disabilities Council).
John has also held leadership positions at Borders Books, PepsiCo and spent three years teaching English in Japan. Originally from Maryland, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Tiffany Brutus
Vice President
Tiffany Brutus is an Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Services at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she provides and coordinates academic support, leadership and career development for the JMU student-athlete population. She is a two time graduate of James Madison University earning B.S. and M.S. degree in Health Sciences. Currently, Tiffany is pursuing a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership at JMU. She resides in the city of Harrisonburg with her husband; together they have three children one with dyslexia. Tiffany serves on the local Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) of Harrisonburg City Public Schools. She is also a NCHEC Certified Health Education Specialist and has a passion for preventative health in addition to her interests in advocacy, education, leadership and organizational development.
Cheryl Lloyd
Treasurer
Cheryl Lloyd is a transplant from Washington D.C. living in Gordonsville, Va., and is a mother to four adult children, three of which are emerging adults living with multiple disabilities. Cheryl has been a parent and student advocate fighting for change within the school system and community addressing the growing needs of children and youths as well as adults with disabilities in rural under-served and non-served areas. She recently retired from her position as a Community Integration Specialist and Youth Service Coordinator for the disABility Resource Center serving the lower PD9 area addressing disability rights and educational access.
Cheryl’s passion is for every individual living with a disability to live a life of integrity, respect, safety, and fulfillment, by having access to the supports and services they need to live a life of purpose.
Dana Young-Askew
Secretary
Dana Young-Askew was raised and still resides in Virginia Beach, VA. She works for an International Logistics firm. Dana is married and has five beautiful children including an 11-year-old son, 7-year-old boy/girl twins and 6-year-old boy/girl twins.
She has written a children’s book tilted Come Meet Drayden inspired by her Autistic son, Drayden. Her book is unique in the fact that it is told from the sibling’s perspective.
Her passion is advocating for disabled individuals and their families. Her goal is to connect people to services. She passionately believes representation matters. Dana Young-Askew is enthused to be on the PEATC Board and committed to doing the work to help the community.
Telisha Woodfin
Telisha Woodfin is a seasoned behavioral health professional with over 18 years of experience supporting children and families across Virginia in various community and government agencies. She is the founder of LIVLoved, a postpartum family support agency, providing emotional and physical support to birthing individuals and their families in addition to families birthed through surrogacy, adoption, kinship care, or foster care. She is also the co-founder of “The Momtourage,” an online support community for mothers.
Telisha is a Richmond native and VCU Alumni, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Social Work. Telisha is a natural advocate. She believes that her life’s mission is to nurture the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of others by demonstrating love. Outside of work, Telisha enjoys singing, cooking and spending time with her husband, three wonderful children, family and friends.
Meghan Garber
Meghan is an accomplished and energetic attorney and governance, risk, and compliance executive. She has a demonstrated ability to empower, coach, and motivate diverse teams of cross-functional professionals toward achieving excellence. Meghan has hands-on experience in nonprofit management, regulatory oversight and monitoring, change management, continuous quality improvement, and large-scale strategic planning. She has a proven ability to successfully analyze a corporation’s critical business requirements, identify deficiencies and potential opportunities, and develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for enhancing competitiveness, increasing revenues, and minimizing corporate risk.
Meghan is a native of Akron, OH and currently resides in Arlington, VA. She is the mother of a 6-year old who is educated in the Virginia public school system. Meghan is passionate about how important a diverse and inclusive learning environment is for shaping the lives of all students. It is her desire that the work she does help safeguard that diversity and influence how learning institutions ensure that all individuals, including those with disabilities, have maximal opportunities for quality education and inclusion throughout their lives.
Christina Harrison
Christina Harrison is a native of Lynchburg, Virginia. She owns a small therapy agency that provides early intervention services to infants, toddlers and their families in the Central Virginia, Roanoke Valley, and south west regions of Virginia. Christy has over 12 years of experience working with children ages 0-3 and 7 years of experience working with children with special needs ages 3-6 years old in a classroom setting. Christy has been married for 23 years and is the mother of 4 boys, twins age 20, an 18 year old, and an 11 year old.
She received her B.S. in Psychology and Special Education as well as her M.Ed. in Special Education with concentration in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Lynchburg (previously Lynchburg College). Christy is currently working on her M.S. in Vision Impairments from Radford University and her Ed.D. from Liberty University in Community Care and Counseling. She is also working on her Virginia Infant Mental Health endorsement. Christy serves on the Highlands Community Services Board and the Virginia Inter agency Coordinating Counsel.
Her passion is to help educate parents on their rights, to help them support their children in their educational journey, to support individuals with disabilities in learning how to advocate for themselves, and to coach families and caregivers in teaching all young children.
Silke Douglass
Silke Marisela Douglass serves as Director of the Office of Compliance Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC. As Director, she provides leadership and support to the Department’s enforcement agencies, advancing the expansion and development of innovative and effective approaches to worker outreach and employer compliance assistance. Silke is passionate about deploying customer experience and human centered design principles and practices to educate vulnerable and historically marginalized and underserved worker populations about their federal labor rights.
Silke’s career includes more than 15 years in public service. She previously served as Chief of the Office of Program Policy Evaluation at the Mine Safety and Health Administration where she worked to protect the health and safety of coal miners across the country. She also worked as an assistant audit director at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General where she led audits of departmental programs, including the Federal Black Lung Benefits Program. Prior to her career at the U.S. Department of Labor, Silke worked as a consultant at Deloitte and in quality assurance at the American Red Cross in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Silke currently serves on the Board of Directors of the City of Fairfax Theatre Company as Community Outreach and Volunteer Chair. She had the privilege of filling the role of assistant producer of the theatre company’s intergenerational production of Shrek The Musical in the summer of 2022. Silke is also a member of the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility committee at The Little Theatre of Alexandria. Her other volunteer efforts include serving as a research and curatorial fellow at The Historic Sydenstricker Schoolhouse and in horticultural services at the National Gallery of Art.
Silke holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Rutgers College where she was a Henry Rutgers Scholar and has a Master’s in Public Administration from Cornell University.
Silke lives in West Springfield with her husband, David, and sons, Dax and Kai. They have two dogs, Quib and Dusty, a goldendoodle and a plott hound.