2021 virtual GDDI

Presenters

Katherine Guernsey, Agency Disability Rights Coordinator at USAID

As USAID’s Disability Rights Coordinator, Katherine is responsible for advising the Agency on disability inclusion at both the program and policy levels, and manages the Agency’s Disability Program Fund. In this capacity, she is working to promote U.S. development assistance that recognizes and respects persons with disabilities and their representative organizations as not only development beneficiaries on an equal basis with others, but as partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects that impact the lives of the world’s one billion persons with disabilities.

Katherine is a public international lawyer who has dedicated her career to the field of human rights, with an emphasis on disability inclusive development and diplomacy. Much of her work has focused on enhancing the capacity of stakeholders to effectively formulate and implement disability inclusive policies and practices. She was extensively involved in negotiation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), working alongside both governmental and non-governmental delegations. She has authored numerous publications associated with the treaty and international disability law and policy. From 2010-2017, she served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, Judith Heumann, at the U.S. Department of State, promoting disability inclusive diplomacy as a priority in U.S. foreign policy.

Katherine received her Master of Laws in international and comparative law from The George Washington University Law School, and her Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degrees from Ohio Northern University.

Divya Sooryakumar, Program Officer for Partnerships and Grantmaking at MADRE

Divya Sooryakumar is MADRE’s Program Officer for Partnerships and Grantmaking. She manages MADRE’s portfolio focused on intergenerational leadership and adolescent girls. Divya brings eight years of experience working with girls through grassroots feminist organizations including the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA Bharat) and smaller initiatives like Chhoti Si Asha. She brings expertise in education, gender, and strategic communications. She received her M.Ed in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University.

Maegan Shanks, Adjunct Faculty & Program Assistant at Gallaudet University

Maegan Shanks an alumna of a MIUSA exchange program bringing young deaf and disabled leaders to Costa Rica. Currently, she is an Adjunct Faculty and Program Assistant for the International Development M.A. Program at Gallaudet University, the world's leading bilingual university designed for deaf and hard of hearing students. Prior to this, she worked as the Disability Inclusive Development Learning Coordinator at CBM International. Maegan is passionate about equal access to education for the deaf community and youth with disabilities, gender equity and intersectionalities.

Marcie Roth, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at World Institute on Disability

Marcie Roth is WID’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. She joined WID in September 2019, bringing her lifelong commitment to advancing the rights of people with disabilities and expanding disability leadership locally, nationally and globally. Active in the Independent Living movement since 1982, Marcie has served in senior and executive leadership roles for national and global disability advocacy and public policy organizations since 1995, establishing, supporting and leading coalitions committed to operationalizing disability inclusion as an intersectional imperative for global social justice. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, she focused her advocacy on improving emergency preparedness and disaster outcomes for people with disabilities and building accessible disaster resilient communities. Marcie was subsequently appointed by President Obama to the U.S Department of Homeland Security – Federal Emergency Management Agency from 2009 to 2017, where she served as Senior Advisor to the Administrator; establishing and directing the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination. At FEMA, and subsequently in launching the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, she led national and global transformation towards disability inclusive emergency management and disaster risk reduction as critical elements for expanding global climate adaptation and disaster resilience.

Marcie has always been a huge fan of musicians who use their talent to advance humanitarian action and wants to see disability inclusive messaging more fully embedded in their words and actions. Her universe revolves around her family, and especially her granddaughter. She leads WID from Washington DC.

participating organizations

Thank you to the organizations that registered for our inaugural Virtual GDDI in 2021!

• Task Force for Global Health

• Southern New Hampshire University Global Education Movement (GEM)

• Project ECHO

• Duke University Center for Global Women's Health Technologies

• Generation Australia

• American Heart Association

• American India Foundation

• Save the Children*

• Oxfam America*

• Sesame Workshop

• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EDGAF)

• World Learning*

• WEEMA International*

• United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS)

• World Pulse

• Trickle Up*

• InterAction

• Solidarity Center*

• Women For Women International*

• The WILD Network

• Global Communities

• Chemonics International*

• Fund for Global Human Rights

• Channel Foundation

*Denotes a member of MIUSA's EDDI membership initiative.

virtual agenda at a glance

Tuesday October 19, 2021

• 6:00 am - 6:30 am PDT| Welcome and Opening Remarks with remarks from MIUSA staff, GDDI sponsors, and guests.

• 6:30 am - 7:30 am PDT | GDDI Participant Introductions

• 7:30 am - 7:45 am PDT | Break

• 7:45 am - 8:45 am PDT | Virtual Tea #1 - Small group breakout discussions designed for international development organizations to get to know the WILD delegates and their work.

• 8:45 am - 9:00 am PDT | Group Debrief

WILD participants excused for the day; GDDI participants continue.

• 9:00 am - 9:30 am PDT | Guiding Principles of Disability Inclusive International Development

• 9:30 am - 10:00 am PDT| Discussion and Reflection

Wednesday October 20, 2021

• 6:00 am - 6:15 am PDT| Welcome

• 6:15 am - 7:45 am PDT | Best Practices and Insights in Inclusive Development - Featuring presenters from USAID, Gallaudet University, World Institute on Disability, and MADRE. Read about the presenters below!

• 7:45 am - 8:00 am PDT | Break

• 8:00 am - 8:15 am PDT | Energizing Activity - Get ready to move!

• 8:15 am - 8:45 am PDT | Virtual Tea #2 - Small group breakout discussions designed for international development organizations to get to know the WILD delegates and their work.

• 8:45 am - 9:00 am PDT | Group Debrief

WILD participants excused for the day; GDDI participants continue.

• 9:00 am - 9:30 am PDT | Action Planning and Discussion

• 9:30 am - 10:00 am PDT| Evaluation and Closing Remarks