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The ICI-UMass Boston partners with the US Department of State on the Professional Fellows Program. We are reviewing this website to ensure compliance with recent executive orders and other guidance.

US Outbound Fellows

Spring 2024 Cohort

Introducing the Spring 2024 Cohort of Outbound Fellows! In May 2024, Fellows from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda traveled to the US to participate in a Fellowship Program on civic engagement for people with disabilities, which included a four-week placement with a US host organization. In Winter 2024, three competitively selected US hosts traveled to their Fellows’ countries in East Africa to provide technical assistance.

Learn more about our Outbound Fellows and how they are assisting their East African colleagues to promote and enhance civic engagement.

A flyer with a blue frame, arranged in three rows. The top row shows two American women and one American man. The middle row displays the flags of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. The bottom row features two African women and one African man. At the bottom of the flyer are the US flag and the logos of the US Department of State, Professional Fellows Program, University of Massachusetts Boston, Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI), and Humanity & Inclusion (HI).

  • Dr. Megan Roberts

    Photo of a white American woman with long brown hair, smiling at the camera.

    Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (HSC)

    Megan Roberts, PT, DSc, PCS, directs the Oklahoma Interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (OKLEND) Program, teaching and mentoring future disability service providers in Oklahoma. She also serves as Director of Education and Training for the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics section.

    In November 2024, Dr. Roberts traveled to Tanzania to assist Fellow Eva Chuwa in expanding her training for special education and nursery school teachers at Al Muntazir School by incorporating new focus areas, such as epilepsy, albinism, and educational technology, leveraging Dr. Roberts' expertise and that of other Tanzanian PFP alumni.

  • Dr. Evan Dean

    Photo of a white American man with brown hair, wearing eyeglasses and a light blue shirt, smiling at the camera.

    Associate Director of Community Services at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD)

    Evan Dean, PhD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist and Associate Director of Community Services at KUCDD. His research focuses on improving community participation, employment, and self-determination for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, drawing on extensive experience in community-based interventions.  

    In January 2025, Dr. Dean traveled to Kenya to assist Fellow Ombati Elizabeth Nyabiage in providing additional training for 30 women with disabilities previously trained by Elizabeth on leadership and advocacy. The new training focused on goal setting and action planning using the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), a multi-step problem-solving framework. 

  • Dr. Jacy Farkas

    Photo of a woman with long black hair, dressed in a green blouse and cardigan, against a backdrop of trees, looking directly into the camera.

    Director, University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities

    Jacy Farkas, PhD, Director of the Sonoran Center at the University of Arizona, has over 15 years of experience in community-engaged research and interdisciplinary training, focusing on people with disabilities, and improving disability access and outcomes through participatory action methods.

    In November 2024, Dr. Farkas traveled to Uganda to provide technical support to Fellow Denis Ouma in delivering enhanced training to students with disabilities. They also piloted a mentorship handbook developed through prior virtual engagements involving the University Council and the Special Needs and Rehabilitation Faculty.

Spring 2023 Cohort

Introducing the Spring 2023 Cohort of Outbound Fellows! In May 2023, Fellows from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda traveled to the US to participate in a Fellowship Program on civic engagement for people with disabilities, which included a four-week placement with a US host organization. In Fall/Winter 2023, three competitively selected US hosts traveled to their Fellows’ countries in East Africa to provide technical assistance.

Learn more about our Outbound Fellows and how they are assisting their East African colleagues to promote and enhance 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

    Profile of an African American man with a black and white beard and moustache, wearing a black suit with yellow tie, smiling into the camera.

    Former 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 is also the past President for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Board of Directors.

    In December 2023, Derrick traveled to Tanzania to support Fellow Bakar Hamad in enhancing the collective impact of Bakar’s follow-on project. This initiative focused on supporting women with disabilities from Juwauza, by providing training to increase their participation in political decision-making.

  • Kelley Hartlieb

    Profile of a white woman with long blond and gray hair, wearing a black turtleneck, smiling into the camera.

    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 traveled to Kenya to work with Fellow Erick Oduor on his project training disability organizations to participate in state and national budget processes. Kelley helped devise strategies to engage policymakers from the experience of US grassroots activists and introduced perspectives about disability access and self-advocacy to project partners and other disability professionals. 

  • Rebecca Aaberg

    Profile of a young, white woman with short brown hair and brown-rimmed glasses, wearing a black shirt and smiling into the camera.

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

    While working at IFES, Rebecca Aaberg designed tools for increasing political participation of persons with disabilities, promoted rights of Indigenous Peoples, and supported civil society advocacy. She led trainings on disability participation and rights in more than 15 countries. 

    In October 2023, Rebecca joined 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 facilitated introductions with critical community members, strategized on the best approach to gaining allies, and trained allies on developing position papers themselves. 

Fall 2022 Cohort

Introducing the Fall 2022 Cohort of Outbound Fellows! In October 2022, Fellows from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda traveled to the US to participate in a Fellowship Program on civic engagement for people with disabilities, which included a four-week placement with a US host organization. In Spring/Summer 2023, three competitively selected US hosts implemented their Outbound Fellowships. Two Fellows traveled to their colleagues’ countries in East Africa to provide technical assistance, while one Fellow implemented an entirely virtual outbound effort.

Learn more about our Outbound Fellows and how they are assisting their East African colleagues to promote and enhance civic engagement.

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

  • Dr. Evan Borisinkoff

    A profile picture of a white man with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a green polo shirt, smiling into the camera.

    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 Fellow Priscilla Kisakye in the development of a parent training program to foster learning for all children through strong citizen engagement​.

  • Dr. Megan Roberts

    Photo of a white American woman with long brown hair, smiling at the camera.

    Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (HSC)

    Megan Roberts, PT, DSc, PCS, directs the Oklahoma Interdisciplinary Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (OKLEND) Program, teaching and mentoring future disability service providers in Oklahoma. She also 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 to promote greater community cohesion.

  • Dr. Wendy Parent-Johnson

    A profile picture of a white woman with short blond hair wearing a blue top, smiling into the camera.

    Director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC), 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 becoming adults, and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.

    Between July and August 2023, Wendy conducted a fully virtual Outbound Fellowship, providing technical assistance to 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.