Staff

Judy Mark has an adult son with autism, which led her to become co-founder and President of Disability Voices United. Judy leads DVU’s advocacy and programmatic efforts. Judy was instrumental in the passage of the Self-Determination Law and has been active in its implementation. Judy has written and edited two books on the Self-Determination Program and has spoken extensively throughout California and trained thousands of individuals and families. Judy also leads DVU’s legislative and advocacy efforts and has frequently testified before California’s legislature. Judy has appeared frequently in the media advocating for people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and on other major issues such as police violence, access to voting, and the problems with conservatorship.

Judy also serves as a faculty member at UCLA, teaching undergraduate courses on autism in the Disability Studies Program. She led the Autism Media Lab, which produced seven short documentaries on the inclusion of people with non-speaking autism. Her past professional experience includes over 30 years leading communication and development efforts for national policy organizations, most extensively focusing on immigrant and refugee rights.

Judy has a BA from UCLA in Communications Studies and a Masters in Politics and Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University with coursework at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. Judy lives in Los Angeles with her husband, attorney Allen Erenbaum, and son, Joshua, and she visits her daughter, Emma, often wherever she may be across the globe. 

Gilda Giron is the Director of Outreach and Leadership Training for Disability Voices United. As director, Gilda is leading the Emerging Leaders Program, which focuses on growing and nurturing self-advocates and family advocates to become leaders.

Gilda earned a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from California State University, Los Angeles and has certification in Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship (DIR) based model and customized employment. She has been an advocate and ally to the disability community for over 18 years, specifically with underserved communities. Gilda has worked in various settings including community college, adult day programs, and state-funded programs that serve people with disabilities. Her most recent roles include supervisor for an adult day program and Floortime therapy working collaboratively and in a multidisciplinary approach with families.

Gilda is the mother of three children, two of whom have a disability. Over the course of her career, she has been passionate about disability rights and having a daughter with a disability led her towards furthering her advocacy for people with disabilities. Gilda and her daughter were the first to undergo an experimental fetal surgery procedure for spina bifida. She is a passionate family advocate, providing support to newly diagnosed parents considering fetal surgery and parents that have gone through the process.

A California native, Gilda lives in Orange County with her husband of 11 years and three children.

Kristianna Moralls (she/her) is the Director of the Self-Determination Program Projects.  As the director, Kristianna leads the SDP trainings and conferences.  She supports the regional center’s local advisory committee contracts for training and resource fairs. Kristianna implements the competitive integrated employment project research and training.

Sharing a deep commitment to advocating for the civil rights of people with disabilities and a passion for person-centered planning, Kristianna brings dedication and thoughtfulness to her role. She has firsthand knowledge of the challenges of this community and has many years of experience navigating these systems with life experience both advocating for her Autistic son as well as supporting foster youth with disabilities.

Kristianna has almost two decades of professional experience with Special Education Advocacy and Regional Center Advocacy through private and non-profit organizations. She supported disabled foster youth as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and as an Educational Rights Holder through Children’s Law Center Los Angeles.

Kristianna completed training for Independent Facilitation with State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD), Autism Society of Los Angeles, Claudia Cares, and The Guidelight Group. She has a certificate from Helen Sanderson and Associates in Person-Centered Thinking. She earned a certificate and continues to work with the Disability Voices United (DVU) Emerging Leaders Program. Kristianna completed her COPAA/USC UCEDD Special Education Advocacy Training (SEAT) and is a member of the Council of Parents, Attorneys & Advocates. Kristianna has Dispute Resolution Program Act (DRPA) certification from Loyola Law School.  She is a certified Olweus Bully Prevention trainer and QPR Gatekeeper Instructor.

Born and raised in Los Angeles and Orange County, Kristianna obtained a Bachelor of Science in Applied Social Science, a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, and is a Doctoral student in Public Administration.

Monica Rejniak is a human resources and operations management leader. As the Director of Administration, Monica ensures DVU is compliant with the regulations and compliance issues that dictate how California employers conduct business. Her primary objective is to streamline processes and establish policies that enable staff and volunteers to focus on driving the DVU mission forward.

She brings over 15 years of experience working with the I/DD community and prides herself on being a community builder. In addition, she brings her own experience, as a person who lives with the challenges of epilepsy, to DVU.

Monica earned her BA in Anthropology from San Francisco State University. She uses cultural anthropology to inform and guide her in the business environment. Understanding the people and culture of DVU provides insight on how to best support the team. Monica seeks to listen and learn the “other” perspective in order to build partnerships within DVU. She believes that partnerships, built on mutual trust and respect, are the basis for a successful organization.

Monica is a California native and enjoys exploring the world with her husband, Mick. They have two adult daughters that amaze them on a daily basis.

Nina leads DVU’s policy and legislative efforts and assists with DVU programs.

Nina has an adult son with autism and is an active participant in parent advocacy efforts on behalf of the East Bay autism and developmental disability communities. She has played a key role in developing the East Bay Parents Housing Network into an effective family support and education group. She is currently working to focus attention of local agencies on the urgent need to improve crisis prevention and intervention services.

Nina retired in 2018 as an Associate Regional Counsel in the Office of Regional Counsel at the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Regional Office based in San Francisco. For over 30 years she supervised attorneys providing legal support for the agency’s implementation and enforcement of federal environmental statutes.

Vivian Do (she/her) is the Project Manager for DVU’s new Supported Decision-Making Training and Information Center. This center will include a website hub for all information on SDM and trainings throughout the state for self-advocates, family members, healthcare professionals, educators, lawyers and judges. The program will also include a statewide public education campaign on SDM.

Vivian is passionate about working with disenfranchised communities and promoting equity for all. Vivian brings her experiences as a family member and working with people with I/DD as she hosts weekly bingo sessions for adults with I/DD and has been involved with disabilities studies research during her time at UCLA. Her research focused on conservatorship reform in the aging and I/DD community and SDM for adults with I/DD in healthcare settings.

Vivian earned her Bachelor’s in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and Global Health at UCLA and her MPH in Health Education and Promotion at California State University, San Marcos. She is excited to bring her experiences to DVU to help ensure that people with disabilities retain their rights and are respected.

Vivian is a California native and the child of Vietnamese refugees. She enjoys spending her free time at the gym, crocheting, hiking with friends, or challenging herself by picking up another creative hobby.

As a speech and language pathologist, she conducts assessments in speech, language, and augmentative communication. Darlene has been a Master Trainer for Facilitated Communication Training since 1991 and contributed to the Best Practice Standards for Facilitated Communication Training by the Institute for Communication and Inclusion at Syracuse University.

Darlene also serves as a Board Member of the Wellspring Guild and has co-authored research and articles, including “Investigation of Authorship in Facilitated Communication” in the Journal of Mental Retardation (Aug. 1996).

Tina is an Outreach Specialist for Disability Voices United. She is a self-advocate who has over 20 years of experience in the Self-Determination Program. Tina entered the Self-Determination pilot project in 2001.

Tina owns her own home and is working on turning her crochet skills into a micro-enterprise. She manages her team of caregivers with a little help from her IF. She has her certificate for completing DVU’s Self-Advocates Speakers Bureau training and enjoys being paid for public speaking.

Tina has a service dog named Rosie and is an advocate for service dog access and the rights of the disabled. She served in the DDS CAC from 2000 to 2006. Tina wants to change the world by educating away misconceptions. Knowledge is power.

Miguel is an Outreach Specialist for Disabilities Voiced United. Miguel’s goals align with the mission statement of DVU, which is to empower the disability community with the knowledge, experience, and encouragement of their given rights.

Miguel lives with a disability known as Cerebral Palsy (CP). Miguel was diagnosed with CP at the age of four, and his parents were told he would never walk. Miguel went on to live the life of a “typical disabled child” by going through special education with the uncertainty of what life after school really meant for him. He gave his first steps at the age of 11yrs old and without realizing it, Miguel made the choice to take his future into his own hands by pushing his parents to enroll him in regular education at the age of 14yrs old.

Miguel then went on to graduate from Montebello High School, and later attended community college. After which he became an advocate for disabled rights and was involved at the city and state levels. For four years Miguel has worked for a non-profit, assisting disabled adults in finding gainful employment and speaking to parents on the importance of not “disabling” their disabled child. Miguel has decided to challenge himself yet again by getting on stage and performing his “sit down comedy” routine. He has performed throughout California and parts of Mexico by raising awareness and infusing humor into what he considers the gift of life.

Miguel run his own business as a motivational speaker. He wrote a film on disability awareness called My Reality which is based on a poem that he wrote as well. In the poem, Miguel talks about how he believes society views his as well as other disabilities. Miguel’s goal is to prove that we can all turn a blind eye to the ‘dis’ and extenuate everyone’s abilities!

Mikaela Boudreau is currently serving as the Program Assistant for both the Empowerment and the Supported Decision-Making teams. Mikaela comes to DVU with a Master’s in Business Administration from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and a professional background in nonprofit management.

Mikaela is excited to help amplify the voices of DVU’s network of self-advocates. Her lived experience as a person with a disability and a sibling of a person with I/DD has helped shape her outlook and continuous learning.

In her personal time, Mikaela enjoys taking advantage of the beautiful San Diego weather; her perfect day includes an iced coffee and a long walk on the Bay. Mikaela is most happy when outside, spending time with her husband and three beloved dogs named Brooks, Brighton, and Beasley.

Kayley serves as the Program Assistant for the Self-Determination Program (SDP) team at DVU. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from San Jose State University, where she developed a strong foundation in advocacy and public health principles.

Her academic background equips her to effectively support individuals with disabilities, ensuring they access essential resources for independent living. Beyond her professional role, Kayley has worked as a health educator for youth in low-income communities in Los Angeles County, focusing on promoting health education and awareness. This experience deepened her commitment to serving marginalized populations and understanding social determinants of health.

Outside of work, Kayley cherishes time with loved ones, including her brother, who has autism, and her cat, Nootch. She embraces outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and rock climbing whenever possible.

Erick Rocha, currently serving as a Program Assistant at DVU, holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from California State University, San Bernardino. As someone with a disability, he passionately advocates for the inclusion and representation of individuals with disabilities in all aspects of life.

During his free time, Erick enjoys immersing himself in books accompanied by a cup of coffee, particularly favoring poetry that resonates with his life as a Hispanic and as a paraplegic. He credits his achievements, aspirations, and positive outlook to the loyal support from his family and the exceptional professional relationships he has built over the years.

Erick’s outstanding qualities mark him as an unstoppable and determined force in his pursuits.

Fidelia Sillas serves as the dynamic Outreach and leadership Program Assistant at Disability Voices United. In collaboration with the director, she seamlessly integrates her extensive experience in project management and community outreach into executing program tasks. Fidelia provides valuable administrative support for the Leadership Community Connect, Emerging Leaders, and Ambassador programs.

Motivated by the belief that everyone deserves respect and equal opportunities, Fidelia joined DVU. She embraces inclusivity, recognizing and valuing each person’s unique strengths, contributing to the strength of our society.

In addition to her professional achievements, Fidelia takes pride in being a devoted mother of three and resides in Los Angeles County.

Elena is a Self-Determination Program Assistant for Disability Voices United. She is an autistic and epileptic self-advocate, involved in multiple local and state-wide self-advocacy groups. Elena graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor’s in Marketing. She lives in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. In her spare time, she enjoys going out in the community, cooking, jewelry-making, knitting, and reading sci-fi & nonfiction books.

William is a high school student currently in transition. He has autism, is non-speaking and types to communicate. As an intern with CDAN he has been an active advocate for access to communication and education while promoting inclusion.

William enjoys presenting at conferences demonstrating that non-speaking doesn’t mean non-thinking. He would like to seek post-secondary education by attending college to pursue writing and continue with his advocacy work. He enjoys spending time with friends, swimming and traveling with his family.