Council Members
The Council on Developmental Disabilities is made up of Governor-appointed private citizens who either have a disability or are family members of a person with a disability. Council members represent the cultural and geographic diversity of Tennessee. The Council also has representatives of State agencies that are connected with disability policy and services in the state.
- Edward Mitchell, Communications Committee Chair - Jackson
- Sarah Cripps, Public Policy Committee Chair - Smithville
- Courtney Johnson - Johnson City
- Evelyn Roach - Johnson City
- Kezia Cox - Knoxville
- Katie Moore - Henderson
- Will Edwards - Knoxville
- Faith Henshaw - Gainesboro
- Bliss Welch - Harrison
- Molly Anderson - Chattanooga
- Diamond Grigsby - Murfreesboro
- Debbie Miller - Murfreesboro
- Swathi Dasari - Brentwood
- Martez Williams - Nashville
- Chrissy Hood - Pulaski
- Brigham Scallion - Bells
- Kim Boyd - Martin
- Donna Nasso, Memphis
- Shontie Brown - Memphis
Commissioners/Representatives of State Government Departments and Agencies and their designees in parentheses
- Commissioner Brad Turner (Jordan Allen) Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Commissioner Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds, (Alison Gauld) Department of Education
- Commissioner Clarence Carter, (Kevin Wright/Julie Johnson) Department of Human Services: Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- Commissioner Marie Williams, (Mark Liverman) Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
- Commissioner Dr. Ralph Alvarado, MD, FACP (Jacqueline Johnson) Department of Health
- Chief of Long-Term Services and Supports Katie Moss, (Shannon Nehus) Division of TennCare
- Executive Director Richard Kennedy, (Russette Marcum-Embry) Commission on Children and Youth
- Executive Director Ralph Perrey, (Don Watt) Tennessee Housing Development Agency
- Executive Director James Dunn, Commission on Aging and Disability
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Pablo Juarez, Co-Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Bruce Keisling, Ph.D., Executive Director, UT Health Science Center for Developmental Disabilities
Protection and Advocacy Agency
Lisa Primm, Executive Director, Disability Rights Tennessee
Community Nonprofit
Allie Haynes, Membership Manager, Rural Health Association of TN