February 19, 2020 (North Carolina) – The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) has named new standing committee chairs for the upcoming year. The Council has three committees geared to its Five Year State Plan, a strategic plan that contracts out initiatives and programs for the intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) communities across the state.

NCCDD standing committees and their new chairs are:

• Daniel Smith, is a parent of a child with a disability.  He is an attorney with the law firm of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP in Greensboro, NC and will chair NCCDD’s Financial Asset Development Committee. Smith has advised and represented clients on issues including special needs education and disabilities, bullying, and education-related provisions of the North Carolina Constitution and United States Constitution.
• Ryan Rotundo, of Weaverville, NC, is an Instructor of Exceptional Children (High School Level) for Buncombe County Schools and an entrepreneur in the Asheville, NC area. He will chair the Community Living Committee. He is a sibling advocate for his sister, Nicole, who is diagnosed with Down syndrome. 
• Cheryl Powell, a self-advocate and a person who is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, will lead the Advocacy Development Committee. She is a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) and a Qualified Developmental Disabilities Professional (QDDP). Powell is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) with a bachelor’s in social work (BSW). Powell lives in Wilmington, NC.

In addition, Allison Dodson was elected as Secretary to the Council at the annual meeting of the Council in November. Dodson is the Director of Parent and Family Services at Appalachian State University and lives in Blowing Rock, NC. She is an advocate for her sister Jennifer, who was born with tuberous sclerosis. 

Nessie Siler of Manteo, NC was elected as the second Vice-Chair to the Council. Siler, a self-advocate and a person diagnosed with cerebral palsy, owns her own business, Writers Best Editing Services which offers a variety of freelance editing services. 

The NCCDD committees focus on achieving the Goals and Objectives of the Council’s Five-Year State Plan and remain responsive to comprehensive reviews of major service systems and issues in North Carolina. The committees outline specific activities, outputs and outcomes that initiatives will implement and work toward to bring about positive change for all North Carolinians with I/DD. 

About the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities: The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) works to assure that people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and inclusion in all areas of community life. Through its Five-Year Plan, the Council identifies and funds innovative projects and initiatives that promote the goals of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) for all North Carolinians. www.nccdd.org

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