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US Outbound Fellows

Spring 2023 Cohort

Meet our Spring 2023 Cohort of US Outbound Fellows! In May 2023, our African Fellows traveled to the US to pursue a 5-week Fellowship placement training with an individually matched US host organization. Now, three US host mentors have been selected to travel to their Fellows’ countries in Africa to provide technical assistance.

Learn more about our US Outbound Fellows and how they will assist their African colleagues to promote and enhance disability-inclusive civic engagement.

Profile pictures of six individuals, three Americans and three Africans, are aligned with the Tanzanian, Kenyan, and Ugandan flags in the center.

  • Derrick Willis, MPA 

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    Director of the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), University of Iowa

    Derrick Willis has decades of experience in community-based Participatory Action Research (PAR) and curriculum development related to disability self-determination, leadership, and self-advocacy. He has developed and implemented many programs and projects to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Derrick also serves as the President-Elect for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Board of Directors.

    In December 2023, Derrick will travel to Tanzania to support his Fellow Bakar Hamad in enhancing the collective impact of Bakar’s follow-on project focused on training women with disabilities from his organization, Juwauza, to increase their participation in political decision-making.       

  • Kelley Hartlieb

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    Justice Initiatives Project Coordinator at the Center for Human Development (CHD), University of Alaska Anchorage

    Kelley Hartlieb has over 20 years’ experience in the fields of domestic violence advocacy, sexuality education, and case management for neurodiverse survivors/perpetrators of abuse. Kelley oversees the state-wide Disability Abuse Response Team improving services for survivors with disabilities in Alaska.  

    In December 2023, Kelley will travel to Kenya to work with Fellow Erick Oduor on his project training disability organizations to participate and advocate in state and national budget processes. Kelley will help devise strategies to engage policymakers from the experience of US grassroots activists and introduce perspectives about disability inclusion and self-advocacy to project partners and other disability professionals.   

  • Rebecca Aaberg

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    Senior Inclusion Specialist at The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

    Rebecca Aaberg designs tools for increasing political participation of persons with disabilities, promotes rights of Indigenous Peoples, and supports civil society advocacy. She leads trainings on disability-inclusive participation and rights in more than 15 countries. 

    In October 2023, Rebecca will join Fellow Teopista Nannyanzi in her project to develop and disseminate a position paper reflecting the recommendations of persons with psychosocial disabilities on accessing their political rights. Rebecca will facilitate introductions with critical community members, strategize on the best approach to gaining allies, and train allies on developing position papers themselves.  

Fall 2022 Cohort

Meet our Fall 2022 Cohort of US Outbound Fellows! In October 2022, our African Fellows traveled to the US to pursue a 5-week Fellowship placement training with an individually matched US host organization. Now, four US host mentors have been selected to travel to their Fellows’ countries in Africa to provide technical assistance.

Learn more about our US Outbound Fellows and how they will assist their African colleagues to promote and enhance disability-inclusive civic engagement.

Profile pictures of eight individuals, four Americans and four Africans, are aligned with the Ethiopian, Tanzanian, Ugandan, and Kenyan flags in the center.

  • Dr. Evan Borisinkoff

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    Associate Professor at Minot State University Department of Special Education

    Evan Borisinkoff, PhD, BCBA, LBA, teaches undergraduate and graduate level coursework for the Department of Special Education. Dr. Borisinkoff also serves as the Program Director for the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in Disability Human Services and is an affiliate of the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD).

    In April 2023, Dr. Borisinkoff traveled to Uganda to provide technical assistance to his Fellow Priscilla Kisakye in the development of a parent training program to foster equitable learning for all children through strong citizen engagement​. Read about Evan’s experience!

  • Dr. Megan Roberts

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    Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

    Megan Roberts, PT, DSc, PCS, directs the Oklahoma Interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (OKLEND) Program, teaching and mentoring future service providers and advocates in disability related fields from across Oklahoma. Additionally, Dr. Roberts serves as Director of Education and Training for the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics section.

    In July 2023, Dr. Roberts traveled to Tanzania to assist her Fellow Fides Uiso with expanding her initiative to increase outreach and awareness about epilepsy and disability more broadly throughout Tanzania and promote greater community inclusion while working to reduce stigma. Read about Megan’s experience!

  • Dr. Wendy Parent-Johnson

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    Director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, and Professor, Department of Counseling and Special Education, Virginia Commonwealth University

    Wendy Parent-Johnson has a 38-year career focused on education, training, research, model development, and systems change related to competitive employment, youth to adult transition, and improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.

    Between July and August 2023, Wendy conducted a fully virtual Outbound Fellowship, providing technical assistance to join her Fellow Harunah Damba and his team at the United Persons with Disabilities (UPWD) team in Uganda.This involved interactive training sessions focused on key aspects in disability employment, complemented by personalized consultations with selected key informants from Uganda. Read about Wendy’s experience!

  • Dr. Jerry Alliston

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    Associate Director of the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS),
    University of Southern Mississippi

    Jerry Alliston, PhD, oversees the Transition to Adulthood Programs at IDS. He researches, develops, obtains funding, and implements best practice programs. Programs include the STEP UP Advisory Council, composed of youth and young adults with and without disabilities who serve as leaders within their schools, colleges/universities, and communities.

    Dr. Alliston will travel to Ethiopia in Fall 2023 to assist his Fellow Emebet Lema in building the capacity of key partners and stakeholders to enhance self-advocacy for increased employability of university students with disabilities.​ Dr. Alliston will be our first US Outbound Fellow to travel to Ethiopia!