January 16, 2020 (North Carolina) - The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD), with the approval of Governor Roy Cooper, announced Talley Wells as the new Executive Director of the organization effective January 21, 2020.

Wells has dedicated his career to working for and with the disability community. He was most recently the Executive Director for the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice in Atlanta, GA. Prior to that he led the Disability Integration Project at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.  He also taught disability rights at Georgia State University College of Law and worked at the Institute on Human Development and Disabilities at the University of Georgia.  He and his wife, Laura, helped found the L’Arche Atlanta community where people with and without developmental disabilities live together.

Notably, he led a team active in enforcing the Supreme Court’s Olmstead v. L.C. decision, helping to settle major litigation between the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the State of Georgia. The Olmstead decision is a landmark decision for disability rights, which held that, "public entities must provide community-based services to persons with disabilities when (1) such services are appropriate; (2) the affected persons do not oppose community-based treatment; and (3) community-based services can be reasonably accommodated, taking into account the resources available to the public entity and the needs of others who are receiving disability services from the entity," according to the DOJ.

“Advocacy has been the heart of my entire career,” Wells said. “I love working with advocates, self-advocates and agency leaders to further each person’s right to live what is at the core of our country -- the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

His plans for the first year in leading the Council include listening and learning what North Carolina issues are most pressing to enable people with I/DD to live full and meaningful lives. “We need to move forward on Medicaid, look at caps for individuals with significant needs, empower more self-advocacy, and understand the challenges of individuals and families not receiving sufficient supports,” Wells said.

He added, “We’ll finish the Council’s current Five-Year Plan with gusto, while at the same time meet with community and Council members, along with state leaders, to gain an understanding of where our focus needs to be as we prepare for the next Five-Year Plan.”

Wells is excited to return to North Carolina where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Duke University.  He went on to earn a master’s in education from Harvard and returned to Duke where he attended the School of Law.

“After a thorough search, the Council is thrilled that Talley Wells will join us as our Executive Director. Talley's skills and experience will lead the Council forward, helping us build on our firm foundation, and moving us towards accomplishing the goals we have set to increase financial security, community living and advocacy for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Alex McArthur, former Council Chair and head of the Executive Director search committee.

Joining him in North Carolina will be Wells’ wife of 21 years, Laura, along with their 16-year-old son Evan and 12-year-old daughter Julia. 

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.