Board of Directors

President

Brooke Ellison

Brooke Ellison grew up on Long Island, and for the first 11 years of her life, was involved in so many of the activities that characterize childhood. But all of that changed on Sept. 4th of 1990 when she was hit by a car while she was on her way home from school. The accident left her paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator. In 2000, ten years after her accident, Brooke graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. She gave a commencement address for her Harvard graduation in June of 2000, which was covered extensively by media outlets around the world, including the TODAY Show and a cover story by The New York Times.

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Since her graduation from Harvard in 2000, Brooke has worked as a public speaker, delivering the message of hope and motivation, and strength in the face of obstacles. In January of 2002, Brooke published a book entitled, Miracles Happen, which subsequently was made into a movie, directed by Christopher Reeve. Brooke continued her education by graduating from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with a Master’s degree in Public Policy. In November of 2006, Brooke ran for New York State Senate, and her campaign was endorsed by The New York Times, and was highlighted on the TODAY Show. Brooke continued her work as stem cell research advocate and public speaker by founding a nonprofit organization, The Brooke Ellison Project, which worked to further this cause.


Now Brooke Ellison is a PhD and an Associate Professor at Stony Brook University, focusing on Applied Medical Ethics, Health Policy, and Disability. As a result of her work, in 2011, Dr. Ellison was granted an honorary degree from Rutgers University, and, in 2014, was chosen to be a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. In 2017, Brooke was chosen to serve on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the New York Civil Liberties Union. In 2018, Brooke was chosen to be a Truman National Security Project Political Partner. In 2020, Brooke was appointed to serve as a commissioner on the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission.


In addition to her Associate Professor position at Stony Brook University, Brooke is Vice President of Technology and Innovation at the national nonprofit organization, the United Spinal Association, which provides services and resources to people with spinal injury and other wheelchair users. Through this position, Brooke brings members of the technology sector together with members of the disability community to innovate technology to improve quality of life.


In 2022, Brooke published her second book, Look Both Ways, which takes a deep and personal look at her life with disability and the lessons she has learned as a result of it.

Vice President

Daniel Florio

Daniel Florio is a lawyer, policy wonk, and activist deeply disappointed by the Yankees' play during the 2023 season. After growing up with a significant disability (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), Daniel was introduced to Judy Heumann and the disability rights movement by his undergraduate Rutgers professor who happened to be Judy's cousin. After living in Berkeley that summer while working with Judy and Ed Roberts as an intern at the World Institute on Disability, and now able to imagine a world truly inclusive of disabled people, Daniel returned to Berkeley Law for his Juris Doctor.

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After working at California's Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (now Disability Rights California), Daniel permanently returned to the East Coast and worked for many years as an attorney for low-income people at Legal Services of New Jersey. At age 45, he went back to school and earned a Midcareer Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 2015. Now, after many years of being unable to obtain adequate personal care benefits in New Jersey while working, he is now able to return to his career due to some changes in the law and his eligibility status, and is planning on starting a consulting business.

Secretary

Diana Samarasan

Diana Samarasan is an independent consultant with expertise in disability rights and inclusion, disability at the intersection with gender and other rights, and participatory philanthropy and practice at a global level. She is the founder and previous Executive Director of participatory grantmakers, the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF), which are collaborations between donors and global disability activists to support the growth and diversification of disability rights movements across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. Diana was one of the pioneers to include people with lived experience in decision-making about global grantmaking strategy and funding.

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At DRF, Diana was also the main liaison to donors, raising more than $70 million and re-granting over $40 million of that to local organizations of persons with disabilities to advance the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including in achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Diana’s work has been featured in numerous philanthropic publications, including the book, Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good By Giving Up Control and Candid’s Guide, Deciding Together: Shifting Power and Resources Through Participatory Grantmaking.


Diana has over two decades of experience in disability, development, and human rights, more broadly. Previously, she directed a legal advocacy organization in Budapest, Hungary, which litigates abuses of rights of persons with disabilities who are institutionalized across Central Eastern Europe and East Africa. She also worked with the American Refugee Committee and ran the Russian and Eastern European programs of Doctors of the World, addressing access to reproductive health services, tuberculosis control, and deinstitutionalization. A mid-career graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Diana has advanced degrees in Public Administration and Feminist Psychology. Diana has served on numerous boards and steering groups, including the Human Rights Funders Network, the United States International Council on Disability, and research boards of projects collecting global disability data at UCLA and Fordham University. She is currently on the boards of the Center for Inclusive Policy, the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, and the Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance.

Strategic Planning Committee

H'Sien Hayward, PhD

Dr. H'Sien Hayward is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in the Silicon Valley of Northern California. She graduated with honors in psychology from Stanford University before completing her doctorate in psychology at Harvard University. Her National Science Foundation-funded research investigated the science of happiness and posttraumatic growth, focusing on people with disabilities. Dr. Hayward’s research has been featured in numerous academic journals, book chapters, and news sources like The Wall Street Journal. Upon deciding that she wanted to work with humans, in addition to studying them, Dr. Hayward returned to the West Coast to complete a postdoctoral clinical psychology respecialization at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco, California.

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Dr. Hayward's five-year training sequence included several years working with combat veterans and culminated in a postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.


As a spinal cord injured wheelchair user, Dr. Hayward has done humanitarian work aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities around the world, taking wheelchairs and other mobility equipment to Mongolia and Costa Rica, teaching positive psychology-based interventions in Thailand after the Southeast Asia tsunami, working with genocide survivors in Rwanda, and speaking at the United Nations about eliminating ableism across the globe. Two books for lay audiences, Metamorphosis: How and Why We Change by Polly Morland, and Upside: The New Science of Posttraumatic Growth by Jim Rendon, contain accounts of Dr. Hayward’s life and work. In her free time, she is racing a fellow Stanford alum to travel to 50 countries (he is at 41, she is at 42).

Strategic Planning Committee

Constantine 'Kosti' Psimopoulos

Constantine aka 'Kosti' Psimopoulos is a Kinesiologist by training and a bioethicist. He is currently a guest Lecturer and Course Development Fellow in a new joint HMS/HSPH Initiative on Racism in Health and Scientific Research, teaching to all Doctoral students (many in the MD/PhD programs) as part of the Responsible Conduct in Science MED SCI 300 course. He also has a Visiting Research appointment in Global Health and Social Medicine in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine of Harvard Medical School, and is affiliated with the Center for Bioethics, conducting research on public health ethics, racism, social justice, and bioethics. 

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Kosti was a Faculty Coordinator at the Center on Causes and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) from 2019-2022, and was appointed to the Dean’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACDI), where he worked on the Strategic Planning and Implementation group.


An alumnus of Harvard Medical School, he received graduate training in Bioethics, pursuing an MBE degree at the Center for Bioethics of Harvard Medical School, having been awarded the Inaugural HMS Dean's Scholarship based on "academic excellence, persistence, resilience, and a commitment to advancing the position of the underserved and the underrepresented in the biomedical sciences." At HMS, he was elected President of Harvard Medical School's MS Council. He also served as the Community Engagement Fellow, employed by the Office of the President at Harvard, and the EDIB (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging) team.


Kosti was selected by the Dean of Harvard Medical School (Graduate Education) to give the student (valedictorian) address at the HMS graduation entitled: “In pursuit of A Moral Awakening in Medicine & Healthcare: An ethics of Sympraxis.” While authoring his speech, he sought input, advice, and feedback from Prof. Lisa Iezzoni, and his mentor Prof. Michael Stein of Harvard Law School and the Harvard Law School Project on Disability. An article with an excerpt from his speech, including words inspired by the late and great Paul Farmer, was published under news and research as an HMS article.


Kosti conducted his capstone research project on disability bioethics at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, investigating clinical and organizational ethics parameters of rehabilitation within Adaptive Sports Medicine Adaptive Sports Clinics (SASC). His research uncovered the rich process of making meaning of the intricacies of Adaptive Sports Medicine at Spaulding. When ethics was the lens through which the researcher approached this project, it necessitated delving deeper into this relatively nascent area that has largely been absent from the bioethics literature. The objectives were to: a) understand the elements of the unique nature of disability bioethics, b) accommodate discussions of bioethics principles in a disability/adaptive sport medicine context, and c) learn how to be a more inclusive clinical ethicist and practitioner. With freedom of movement as a goal, and self-determination as an ideal, it was shown that rehabilitation is more a quality of life (rather than/compared to life or death) matter and domain. It has to do with purpose and meaning, participation, and empowerment, leading to human flourishing.


Kosti also served on the Ethics Advisory Committee of SRN (Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.) He received a certificate in Exercise Prescription (Lifestyle Medicine program) from Harvard Medical School, as well as a certificate in Breast Cancer Survivors' Fitness Plan Training (Quality of Life program) from Brigham and Women's Hospital.


In 2022, he was awarded the International Emerging Scholar Award for his paper that was selected to be presented and published at the 13th International Conference on Sport in Society in Aarhus, Denmark, June 30th - July 1st. The specially themed conference was entitled: "Whose Body Is It? Sport And The Problem of Autonomy."

Director of Communications

Courtney Coleman

Courtney Coleman is a seasoned entrepreneur, writer, and disability advocate. With over a decade of experience in the business world, she has successfully managed three diverse companies, specializing in post-production, product innovation, website development, and internet marketing. Her passion lies in helping businesses build compelling brands that deeply resonate with their audiences, and her proficiency in offering unparalleled customer service earned her a prestigious best business award. Beyond her entrepreneurial success, Courtney is a multifaceted professional specializing in scientific, technical, medical, and business writing. She has served in various supervising and managing editor roles, amassing over 15 years in the field.

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Throughout her professional journey, Courtney has been privileged to cultivate a unique set of skills, with her writing, photography, and post-production work featured in multiple books, as well as several national and international magazines.


Courtney's academic journey reflects her diverse interests. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and English from Rutgers University and is on track to graduate in May 2024 with a master's degree in biology from Harvard University. In her pursuit of knowledge, Courtney has also earned various career and specialization certificates, delving into advanced topics in patent law, data science, pharmacology, U.S. health law fundamentals, and multiple certifications in advanced and executive leadership, as well as diversity, equality, and inclusion.


In addition to her business ventures, Courtney leverages her skills and influence to make a positive impact. She proudly serves as the Co-President of a non-profit organization that works to address time-sensitive humanitarian crises, a role that allows her to contribute meaningfully to initiatives that align with her values, including public health, mental health, public policy, and human rights.


Having navigated the challenges of growing up with multiple chronic illnesses and rare diseases, Courtney is compelled to reach out and extend a supportive hand to those facing similar obstacles. Her mission is clear: to advocate for and support individuals with disabilities. Driven by deep empathy and an unwavering determination, Courtney is dedicated to working for a future that embraces inclusivity and fosters a culture of understanding, support, and widespread awareness.

Board Member

Dr. Varnit Shanker

Dr. Varnit Shanker is the Chief of Institute of Child Neurosciences, ICON Foundation. He is one of the leading Neurodevelopmental Specialist in India, with qualifications from world-renowned institutes, such as Harvard University (USA), Sir Gangaram Hospital (New Delhi), and Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (London). He is an international speaker with expertise in autism spectrum and parenting of special needs children. Dr. Varnit was the youngest international speaker at the 2019 World Pediatric Congress in Singapore. He is the recipient of several national and international awards, including a research bursary from the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) in Antalya, Turkey in 2022.

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Dr. Shanker has a keen interest in delivering high quality, affordable care for children with a variety of neurological and developmental conditions in resource-limited settings. He is passionate about bringing out challenges of persons with disabilities into the mainstream discourse. For his work done through the ICON Foundation for children with special needs, he became the first resident Indian to receive the prestigious Derek Bok Public Service Prize in Boston, Massachusetts, during the annual Harvard University commencement exercises on the 25th of May 2023.

Member-at-Large

Bob Manson

Bob lives and works in Dublin, Ireland. He is a Past President of the Harvard Club of Ireland and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Harvard Alumni Association Board of Directors where he previously served as a Regional Director for Clubs and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in Europe. He is married to Suzanne, and they have three children, the youngest of whom has Down syndrome. Bob is also Chairperson of the Board of Management of St. Raphael’s School, which provides education for children with special needs.