Program Partners and Staff

The Professional Fellows Program (PFP) on Inclusive Civic Engagement led by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is a collaborative initiative with Humanity & Inclusion (HI), the African Disability Forum (ADF), and the International Disability Alliance (IDA).

This program, funded by the US Department of State, extends the organizations' history of Fellowship programming. ICI and HI have previously collaborated on initiatives, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) International Fellowship Program and the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment (PFP-IDE).

Program Partners

About the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI)

Established in 1963, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) operates as a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), based at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Boston Children's Hospital. Dedicated to advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities to engage fully in society, ICI conducts research, program evaluation, training, and consultation. Through collaboration with diverse entities, including local, state, national, and international agencies, legislators, educational institutions, employers, multicultural organizations, and people with disabilities and their families, ICI champions personal choice, self-determination, and social and economic justice.

About the African Disability Forum (ADF)

Established in 2014, the African Disability Forum (ADF) is the continental membership organization of Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs) in Africa. ADF’s mission is to strengthen and unify the representative voices of Africans with disabilities, their families, and organizations. Acknowledging the vast regional diversity of the African continent, ADF recognizes the impossibility for any single organization to fully represent such diversity directly. Therefore, ADF actively incorporates and builds upon existing pan-African, sub-regional, and national federations of DPOs and networks. ADF, a member of the International Disability Alliance (IDA), is a partner on the 2025 PFP Fellowship Exchange.

Program Staff

Heike Boeltzig-Brown, PhD

Senior Manager for International Partnerships and PFP Program Director,
Institute for Community Inclusion
Heike, an expert in disability-focused international exchange programming, played a pivotal role in establishing the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMass Boston in 2011. In Tokyo from 2012–2020, she expanded ICI’s global programs through strategic partnerships and co-directed the US Department of State-funded Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) International Fellowship Program and the Professional Fellows Program (PFP) on Inclusive Disability Employment. Now in Boston, Massachusetts, Heike directs the PFP on Inclusive Civic Engagement and fosters disability leadership capacity in Japan.

Email: [email protected]
Christa Preston

PFP Program Coordinator, Institute for Community Inclusion
Christa, an Ashoka Changemaker, coordinates ICI’s Fellowship Program activities with Humanity & Inclusion and the African Disability Forum. Previously with Embrace Kulture, she built the capacity of organizations serving children with developmental disabilities in Uganda and across East Africa. In this role, Christa managed diverse cross-border teams, including academic experts from local and international non-profit organizations and individuals directly impacted by the work. Christa earned recognition for her innovative programing from USAID and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Email: [email protected]
Mercy Opiche

Program Manager, Humanity & Inclusion East Africa Region Office
With four years of nonprofit experience in mental health and disability, Mercy serves as a program manager, overseeing all of HI’s activities for the Professional Fellows Program. Previously, as a research assistant at Aga Khan University’s Institute for Human Development, Mercy organized and implemented qualitative and quantitative survey studies. In this role, Mercy also led the implementation of questionnaires to assess mental health issues among women in informal settlements in Kenya. Currently based in Nairobi, Kenya, Mercy brings a wealth of expertise to her work.

Email: [email protected]
Bethelehem Zewde

Program Director, African Disability Forum
As ADF’s program director based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Bethelehem oversees Fellow outreach, recruitment, and logistics for the 2025 Fellowship Exchange. Previously, she served as the Country Director of Kyeema Foundation for three years, following seven years managing a project in partnership with the Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre. Bethelehem also coordinated 29 remote workshops for the Internet Society and worked as a freelance consultant for five years. With 12 years at Humanity & Inclusion, she held roles as an administrator and deputy country representative in Ethiopia.

Email: [email protected]

Program Partners and Staff