Our Board of Trustees
The Disability Law Center wishes to thank members of the Board for their many contributions. Their dedication to the staff and persons with disabilities in Utah has helped keep the DLC on the cutting edge of client-centered disability advocacy.
Tom Brownlee
Citizen Member/Self-Advocacy Consultant
Tom is an author, lecturer, and self advocate. Tom began his own advocacy consulting agency, Brownlee Consulting, in 2001, and works as a trainer and guest-lecturer on self-advocacy and disability issues. Tom is also the Vice-Chair for People First, an advocacy group for persons with developmental disabilities. In addition to volunteering on the DLC Board, Tom works with the Governor's Council for People with Disabilities, the UTA CAT Committee, and the State Interview Panel Committee. He credits his success to the Arc of Utah saying, "The Arc of Utah taught me great advocacy skills!"
Jane Reister Conard, J.D. - President
Attorney - Intermountain Health Care, Inc.
Jane is the Senior Counsel with IHC and has practiced health law for 25 years. She has a longstanding interest in public health, and served on the board of the Salt Lake Valley Department of Health for 10 years. Currently, she serves the Central Region Council of the State Department of Workforce Services. She believes the DLC "…can expand its role of education, referral, and advocacy to increase public awareness of access and service needs."
Jerry Costley, LCSW
Disabled Rights Action Committee
Jerry began working with persons with disabilities twenty years ago as a Support Coordinator for the Division of Services for People with Disabilities. Jerry is very aware of the critical need that persons with disabilities have for legal representation to protect their rights and says that he is "impressed with the quality of legal advocacy provided by the DLC." Jerry feels it is a privilege to be part of a dedicated board and believes the agency plays "a critical role in raising the awareness of the legislature, civic leaders and the community in general and on critical issues that impact the legal rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities."
Forrest Crawford, Ph.D.
Weber State University, Department of Education
Forrest holds a B.S. from Weber State University, an M.S.W. from the University of Utah in Clinical Social Work and a Ph.D. in Education from BYU. He joined the Board because "…the DLC does work that really inspires the human spirit, and the Board brings continuity to its policies and mission." Forrest stresses the importance of linking together vital community services and believes that the DLC is "a major force because of the unique attributes of the disabled community. He believes the DLC plays an important role in advocating and carrying out innovative policies which serve the needs of the community.
Leslie Francis - Vice President
University of Utah, Department of Philosophy
Leslie Pickering Francis is Alfred C. Emery Professor of Law and Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy at the University of Utah. She is the coeditor (with Anita Silvers) of Americans With Disabilities: Implications of the Law for Individuals and Institutions and author of Sexual Harassment as an Ethical Issue in Academic Life. She is a former member of the American Bar Association's Commission on Law and Aging, and has longstanding personal and professional interests in issues of discrimination based on race, sex, age, and disability.
Bill Gibson
Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Bill Gibson joins the board with 13 years of service as the director of the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He became involved with the DLC because he has "always admired and respected the work of the agency a great deal - particularly that of the Client Assistance Program and its Coordinator, Nancy Friel." He has been involved in advocacy since the 1970s when he worked on several grants for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. His vast disability rights experience includes having worked as a Field Services Coordinator for Vocational Rehabilitation and as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Ken J. Martinez
Valley Mental Health
Ken Martinez is currently employed by Valley Mental Health as a Team Leader and clinician. He graduated from the University of Utah School of Social Work with an MSW and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He served for 10 years on the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Board for Social Work. He has worked with severely and persistently mentally ill adults for more than 14 years. He brings to the Disability Law Center his belief in people’s ability to recover and lead productive lives. His experience has always been based on instilling hope and treating everyone with respect.
Claire Mantonya, M.A.
D.D. Council Liasion
Claire Mantonya is the Executive Director of the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council. Claire has many years of experience working for the Division of Services for People with Disabilities supporting People First and building self-advocate leadership around the state. She worked for three years as the Family Support and Respite Manager for Easter Seals Utah and also had an aunt with disabilities who lived with her family as she was growing up in central Ohio. Claire has an undergraduate degree in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan and a masters degree in Adult Education from the Ohio State University.
Kevin Murphy
Kipp and Christian
Kevin Murphy is an associate with the law firm of Kipp and Christian in Salt Lake City. Prior to joining Kipp and Christian, he worked in the public sector, first as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Utah, and then as a Deputy District Attorney for Salt Lake County. Prior to attending law school, he was a registered nurse working primarily in mental health settings in Logan and Salt Lake City. Both as a prosecutor and as a mental health nurse, Mr. Murphy gained an understanding of the often-tragic consequences of untreated mental illness. Mr. Murphy is married and has a grown stepdaughter and two sons.
Paul Newman
Attorney
Paul holds a law degree from J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University and a B.A. from the University of Utah. He has chosen to participate on the DLC Board because it advocates on behalf of and provides legal services for members of an under-represented group. As a person with a disability and the father of a son whose learning disability went undetected in the public school system for several years, Paul understands the value of the DLC. "I believe my personal experiences and my legal background will allow me to help formulate goals and strategies that will help the DLC increase its efforts on behalf of those with disabilities." Paul believes the DLC should "educate people concerning their rights, advocate and sponsor legislation that protects those rights and, when necessary, commence legal proceedings to prevent and protect people from unfair and unlawful practices".
Lopeti S. Penimaani
Citizen Member - Salt Lake City, Utah
Lopeti has training in communications, dance and the performing arts. He joined the DLC Board because "as someone who is physically challenged, I recognize the need for fair representation. I am also multi-ethnic with a great interest in other cultures and cultural values." Lopeti spends his 'up' time assisting others, and looks forward to increasing awareness of the DLC among people with disabilities.
Ron Roskos
Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Utah
Ron was elected to the Board of Trustees as part of the DLC's efforts to increase collaborations with the TBI community. He brings with him a wealth of expertise in the area of brain injury. In his role as Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Utah, he has substantially increased services to consumers and family members. He coordinated and designed the TBI Return to Work Program and Co-Chairs the Brain Injury Association's Statewide Conference Committee. The BIAU's Conference is recognized as one of the most successful Brain Injury conferences in the country. Ron currently sits on the BIAU Resolution Dispute Committee and the Affiliations Committee for the Brain Injury Association of America.
Sarah Rule, Ph.D.
Utah State University - Center for Persons with Disabilities
Sarah is the Director of the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University. Her education is in Child Psychology and Human Development. "As a director of a program that provides education and technical assistance, I see in the DLC's work, areas where we need to provide better education to professionals and the community about services and supports for people with disabilities and the rights of all citizens."
Sylvia Scott
PAIMI Advisory Council Liason
Sylvia was born and raised in Germany and has traveled extensively and lived in a variety of places. Her background has exposed her to different cultures and different ways of thinking; it has also taught her to value diversity. She and her husband have been foster parents for over ten years and adopted a child with significant disabilities. SHe have learned from experience how important the Disability Law Center is. As a liaison from the PAIMI council, she believe that the DLC plays an important role in assuring that the rights of people with disabilities are respected.
Michael C. Walch, J.D., C.P.A. - Treasurer
Attorney
Mike is an attorney in private practice and holds a J.D from Stanford Law School and a B.S. in Accounting from BYU. He serves as the agency's Treasurer and is also a member of the Board of "AND JUSTICE FOR ALL". A foster care parent, Michael sees the DLC as "...a way to use my skills for community benefit. Most community decisions do not consider the needs of people with disabilities, so there is an opportunity and need for outreach".
Grace Zuckerman, Ph.D.
Westminster College
Dr. Zuckerman is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Westminster College. She has been a parent and professional advocate for more than 45 years and was a teacher and administrator in public education for 35 years. While a resident of New York State, Dr. Zuckerman participated in opening public schools to children with disabilities and in organizing the first Special Olympics.