Dr. Aeriel A. Ashlee (She/Her)

Dr. Aeriel A. Ashlee is a tenured professor, award-winning author, and healing-centered facilitator with nearly 20 years of experience in higher education. With a passion for weaving together personal stories and research-informed practice, her work invites participants to slow down, listen deeply, and engage with courage and compassion. 

Dr. Ashlee serves as Associate Professor and Graduate Director of College Counseling and Student Development at St. Cloud State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Miami University in Ohio, a Master’s of Education in Counseling and College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Ashlee is deeply committed to fostering healing and liberation in higher education and beyond.

Judith Risch (she/her) 

Judy is one of the nation’s foremost experts on digital accessibility. She is a twenty-year veteran of the Office of Civil Rights, including five years as Project Director of the National Digital Accessibility Task Force, where she oversaw Section 504 and ADA Title II enforcement across educational institutions and contributed to the 2024 DOJ ADA Title II digital accessibility regulation.

Judy's practice covers encompasses both policy guidance and technical implementation. On the policy side she assists educational institutions with compliance guidance, civil rights investigations, institutional accessibility strategy and governance, and training for administrators, legal counsel, and IT staff. On the technical side she aids her clients with WCAG 2.0/2.1/2.2 conformance review and remediation planning, manual and automated accessibility audits (JAWS, NVDA), VPAT review, and accessible technology procurement.

Molly Peterson (she/her) 

Molly is the Director of Adult Programs at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota. She and her team of educators deliver programs for adults living with mental illnesses as well as the families and professionals who care for them. These programs span community and workplace mental health, suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, and more than 70 peer support groups. Molly holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health degrees, and she is a certified health educator. She has spent the past decade in the public health sector conducting community health research, epidemiology, and health programming. She has lived experience with mental illnesses and is passionate about engaging communities in high-quality programs that improve health outcomes. 

Darrin Evans

Darrin Evans is the Director of The Virtual Learning Community (VLC) Professional Development (PD) Center and an Accessibility Technologist at Wake Technical Community College and works for both Wake Tech and the NC Community College System. He specializes in creating accessible STEM content. He has his Master’s in Instructional Technology and Design and is a former middle school teacher and technology facilitator. He has presented across the state and country on Accessibility and Instructional Technology.  Darrin works with faculty and staff across the curriculum and at all 58 community colleges on creating and delivering effective, accessible digital content.

Kristin Burgess (she/her) 

Kristin Burgess is the Director of the Center for Accessibility Resources, Senior Community Faculty in the College of Community Studies and Public Affairs, and interim ADA Coordinator at Metro State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. A disabled scholar and practitioner with multiple disabilities, Kristin approaches her work through a justice-oriented disability lens that is grounded in both lived experience and public policy.

Kristin holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, where her research contributed to the literature on disabled student experiences in higher education, with particular attention to inclusive learning environments and ableism. She earned a Master of Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a focus on disability policy, a Graduate Certificate in Disability Policy and Services from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Human Services in Disability Studies from Metropolitan State University. She is also a Certified Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator.

Before and alongside her work in higher education, Kristin has served in multiple Minnesota state agencies, including the Minnesota Council on Disability and Minnesota’s Olmstead Implementation Office. Across roles, she is committed to advancing access, equity, and systemic change for disabled students and communities. 

May Ling Kopecky  

May Ling Kopecky is the Learning Center Coordinator at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). In this role, she assists with managing student disability accommodations, facilitates the Peer Tutor program, and provides individual Academic Coaching. Drawing from her own background as a former student with a disability, Kopecky focuses on helping students develop the necessary skills to transition through various stages of life.

Kopecky’s advocacy extends throughout her artistic practice, where she creates paintings and drawings that visualize her experiences with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis. Through this work, she aims to spread MS awareness and advocate for people with invisible disabilities. Her work has received numerous awards in exhibitions across the United States, and has been featured in publications such as New American Paintings, Practical Neurology, the National MS Society’s Momentum magazine, and the Mayo Clinic News Network. Her paintings are currently on display at the Rochester Art Center in Forms of Care: The Art of Representing the Body.

Kopecky holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Fine Arts from MCAD.