Greg Trapp has been the Executive Director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind since 1999. Prior to joining the Commission, he was a Senior Staff Attorney for Disability Rights New Mexico, where he began work in 1992. He taught Disability Law as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law in the fall of 1993 and worked as an Equal Opportunity Specialist at UNM from 1991 to 1992. Trapp graduated with honors from the UNM School of Law in 1990. He is currently a member of the State Workforce Development Board and secretary of the New Mexico Council for Purchasing from Persons with Disabilities. Trapp is also President of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB), and he served as NCSAB President in 2007. Mr. Trapp is also the Historian for the New Mexico Council of the Navy League of the United States.

Ms. Shirley Robinson has served within the blindness community for 20+ years.  After earning her master’s degree and CRC In 1997, from Georgia State University she began her career as a vocational Specialist with the Center for the visually impaired in Atlanta. This led to her present affiliation with the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, vocational rehabilitation program where she served as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. In 2008, she completed the Vision Specialist Certification Program through Mississippi State University’s Graduate Studies program. In April 2009, Ms. Robinson was promoted to the position of Rehabilitation Unit Manager for the Metro Blindness Services Unit.   In September 2016, Ms. Robinson was promoted to Service Area Manager overseeing the DeKalb and Rockdale County Areas.  Then in October of 2017, she was promoted to Assistant Director of Blind Services.  Most recently, in October 2020, Ms. Robinson was promoted to Coordinator of Blind Services with GA VR.  

Aside from training, Ms. Robinson serves as the Employment Committee Chair with the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind, and Board Member of the National Rehabilitation Professionals Division of the National Federation of the Blind.  In addition, she sits on the advisory boards with Tools for Life and the Audible Universal Information Access Service.   Ms. Robinson was also the 2018 and 2019 President of the Georgia Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Association Division.  Her passion is assisting the blind community and developing methods for improving the lives of individuals with disabilities in Georgia.  

Natasha Jerde is the Department of Employment and Economic Development- State Services for the Blind Director. She proudly carries out the mission to facilitate the personal and vocational independence of Minnesotans who are blind, visually impaired, or Deaf Blind. She is a University of Wisconsin-Stout alum where she received a bachelor’s degree in vocational rehabilitation and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and vocational evaluation. She has a certification in Deaf Blindness from Northern Illinois University. Natasha started her career as a vocational evaluator and Deaf Blind rehabilitation counselor at State Services for the Blind. She went on to become a vocational rehabilitation supervisor and then the Director of Policy and Program Administration, overseeing policy development, training, quality assurance, and data analytics. For several years, Natasha was also the adjunct sign language instructor at UW-Stout. 

Ms. Dorothy L. Young is a graduate of Alcorn State University (B.S.); The University of South Alabama (M.S.in Counselor Education and Minor in Rehabilitation Counseling); and Belhaven University (master’s in management). Her case study at Belhaven presented a historical overview of the kinds of relationships that should exist between vocational rehabilitation counselors and individuals with disabilities. In 2000, Ms. Young began work as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind. In this position, she was responsible for working with blind and visually impaired clients to regain, advance, or maintain employment. It was during this time that she experienced the many challenges one would face because of one’s physical or mental limitations. 

In 2013, Ms. Young was promoted to the Director position for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind Services, Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. During this tenure, she started the agency’s first Summer Internship Program for students with disabilities and the first partnership with the Governor’s Job Fair Network. Both initiatives are ongoing and have helped place people with disabilities with businesses, state and federal agencies hiring year around people with disabilities. Dorothy L. Young serves on the National Executive Leadership team as the President for the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. She is elected by her peers around the country for this position.

Dacia Johnson's leadership within the Oregon Commission for the Blind reflects a career dedicated to expanding opportunities for individuals who experience vision loss. As the Executive Director of the Commission, she plays a pivotal role in guiding the agency's efforts to deliver exemplary employment and independent living services to Oregonians who are blind.

Over the course of more than twenty-eight years, Dacia has specialized in Vocational Rehabilitation, consistently striving to improve employment outcomes and independent living services for individuals with disabilities. Dacia's commitment to data-driven decision-making, process improvement, and performance management is evident in her leadership style. 

Educationally, Dacia holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western Oregon University and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Portland State University. She proudly carries the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential.

Dacia's has actively participated in various state and national committees and organizations. This includes serving as President for the Council of State Administrators in Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB). Her involvement in national efforts reflects a commitment to enhancing systems, streamlining business processes, and contributing to leadership development within the national public vocational rehabilitation program.

Juanita Barker is the Deputy Director of the Department of Blind Services with the Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehabilitation Division. She is responsible for supporting both the VR and OIB programs which includes the Criss

Cole Rehabilitation Center and the BEP program. She has been with the VR agency for four decades of extensive field and state office experience.

Carlos R. Serván, J.D., born in Lima, Peru, overcame significant adversity after losing his sight and his right hand in an explosion at age 20. Immigrating to the U.S. in 1989, he pursued higher education, earning an M.P.A. and a J.D., and dedicated his career to serving people with disabilities. As the Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired since 2017, his innovative work has earned him national recognition, including the E.B. Witten Silver Medallion Award.

John Oliveira first joined MCB as a rehabilitation teacher, providing adaptive living skills to MCB’s consumers. From there he moved through the Commission holding a number of roles, but always focused on supporting the mission of MCB, and overseeing the opportunities for those who are blind and visually impaired in Massachusetts. He has also held the positions of vocational rehabilitation counselor, employment services supervisor, director of training and staff development, and director of assistive technology, allowing him to learn every facet of MCB. Through case work and leadership positions he constantly found solutions for consumers with complex needs that would grant them autonomy, whether through employment opportunities or consumer services.

W. Ashley Townsend is the Assistant Commissioner for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) Vocational Rehabilitation Blind and Deaf Division. Prior to his current Assistant Commissioner role, he was the ADRS Blind and Deaf Services Director of Special Programs from April 2014-December 2021. He holds a BS in Rehabilitation from Troy University and a MA in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ashley has been directly involved with Blind and Low Vision Vocational Rehabilitation Service provision since 2009 when he became the VR Field Supervisor for North Central Alabama. He has also worked as a Job Coach for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury as well as a General VR Counselor. Ashley has direct experience with the OASIS Program (OIB Program) and the Vision Rehabilitation Therapy and Orientation & Mobility Programs. In addition, Ashley has extensive experience with the implementation of special VR projects and initiatives, policy, and procedure development, and has overseen quality assurance for ADRS’s Blind and Deaf Services Division. In his previous role as Director of Special Programs, he was the state office liaison to AIDB’s EH Gentry Facility and implemented/monitored ADRS’s longstanding MOA’s with AIDB, Troy University, and Mississippi State University. 

Beginning in January of 2025 he started serving on NCSAB’s Executive Committee as the co-chair of the Randolph Sheppard Committee. Previous non-profit work includes work with the Arc of Shelby County which consisted of a term as Board President and as a board member with the Alabama Chapter of the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Ashley is a resident of Calera, Alabama and married to Krista Townsend who is an elementary education administrator. They have two daughters, Emma and Lily.

Michael MacKillop has provided the full range of agency services through many roles during his 21-year tenure at the agency. He has helped manage the agency’s growth and the success of agency clients across the state. DSB serves Washington state residents of all ages who are blind, low vision or deaf blind. The agency supports those who want to engage in family, civic, and community activities, manage their home and life tasks independently, keep a current job, or start a meaningful new career or small business path. Michael is an exceptional leader who has demonstrated that he can implement the agency's mission of independence, inclusion and economic vitality for individuals with a visual disability.

MacKillop is focused on continuing the agency’s tradition of helping people with visual and other disabilities to meet their high expectations for independence and meaningful careers, helping identify and overcome environmental barriers, and advocating for full accessibility for all.

Catriona Macdonald has served as an NCSAB policy advisor since 2005, advising State Licensing Agencies and the organization on Randolph-Sheppard issues, Older Blind, and other vocational rehabilitation priorities.  She is the President and Founder of Linchpin Strategies, a boutique public policy firm that was recognized by National Journal as one of Washington, DC’s top women-owned government relations providers. Ms. Macdonald graduated with a master’s degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.