The MCDD Presents: Cultural Competency, Diversity, and Inclusion

Please join us for a special MCDD event that focuses on topics of cultural competence, diversity, and inclusion. This panel and group discussion will  focus on the MCDD and its Community Advisory Council’s efforts to assess and plan for improvements in these critical areas.

Presenters include:

• Dr. Tami Jollie-Trottier, is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and is a clinical psychologist specializing in Indigenous behavioral health and healing.  She has over 20-years of experience in the area of mental health service delivery in Indian Country.  She also serves as a tribal research advisor and mentor, and is a member of the Tribal Nations Research Group, a non-profit organization. She serves as a representative of North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities Advisory Council and contracts evaluation services for Special Education for tribal schools.  Dr. Jollie-Trottier is known nationwide for her workshops, trainings, and presentations in the field of psychology, art, and Indigenous issues.

• Dr. Jackie Stone has worked with the MCDD as both the Director of Training and the Director of Information Dissemination. She has been at Kennedy Krieger Institute for more than 30 years in various leadership roles, and serves the state in various roles working with Maternal and Child Health programs. Dr. Stone is also the Co-Director of the Center for Diversity in Public Health Leadership Training, where she and her colleagues have been working for nearly 5 years with trainees from various states representing Native American, African American, and Hispanic backgrounds.

• Amanda Lay has a Bachelor’s Degree in General Communications from University of Maryland University College, is a self-advocate, and is a member of the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council (DD Council). Amanda served on the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, as well as an intern at the Office of the Executive Director for United Cerebral Palsy Association. Amanda has worked as a tutor with adult literacy, is a member of Toastmasters, and has experience in marketing and administrative support.

• Jennifer Chen is the MCDD’s current Diversity Fellow, a position funded by the Administration on Community Living to support work this year on cultural competency. Her work will focus on efforts to support People on the Go to assess its diversity and inclusion, and to develop plans to increase diversity within the ranks of People on the Go. Jennifer comes to the MCDD from University of Californica, Berkely, CA where she studied Public Health with a minor in disability studies and is currently pursuing her Master’s of Science in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Jen identifies as Asian American and has a wealth of personal experiences related to some of her volunteer activities in California.