The NTAR Leadership Center's State Leaders Innovation Institute peer leaders training is being planned under the direction of a key consortium partner -- the University of Delaware's National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities -- and is being co-directed by Steve Eidelman and Nancy Weiss.

Dan Baker is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Department of Pediatrics in New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Baker’s focus at The Boggs Center is on positive behavior support, models of community and educational support, transition services, and mental health services for persons with disabilities. He has worked with people with a range of disabilities; his applied work includes efforts in schools, residential settings for people with disabilities, recreational program, and employment supports. Prior to coming to New Jersey, he taught classes in Special Education and School Psychology at the University of Oregon’s College of Education for 11 years. In 2001-2002, he was a contractor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, teaching positive behavior support strategies to care providers and educators. His training efforts earned him the 2001 Award for Excellence in Community Support from the Institute on Dual Diagnosis. Dr. Baker is well published in both edited books and literary journals. Dr. Baker is a reviewer for the journals Mental Retardation and Research in Developmental Disabilities, co-edits the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed Bulletin (NADD), and serves on NADD’s Board of Directors. Dr. Baker earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 1992 and a teaching license in 1990 from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Baker is serving as faculty for the states of Connecticut and Minnesota.

Steven M. Eidelman, MBA, MSW is the University of Delaware’s first Robert Edelsohn Chair in Disabilities Studies. He holds joint faculty appointments in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy and the Department of Individual and Family Studies and is a Senior Fellow in the Center for Disabilities Studies. Mr. Eidelman is the former Executive Director of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, leading the organization to implement innovative projects, programs and cutting-edge policies. Prior to his appointment with the University of Delaware, Mr. Eidelman was the Executive Director of The Arc of the United States, an advocacy group for people with cognitive disabilities and their families, which has more than 900 state and local chapters and 100,000 members. Mr. Eidelman also served as Deputy Secretary for Mental Retardation in the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

Maria Heidkamp, a project manager at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, is involved in research and technical assistance projects on issues such as older workers, dislocated workers, employment for persons with disabilities, state strategies for improving global competitiveness, and the skill needs of employers in key high-growth industries. Before joining the Heldrich Center, Ms. Heidkamp worked overseas for the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Agency for International Development as the director of the Labor Market Transition Project in Hungary and served as a technical advisor on dislocated workers, customized training, and economic development in transition economies. She has also worked as a policy analyst for the National Governors Association covering a range of workforce issues and served as director of the Wisconsin Labor-Management Council. She has a degree in Government from Cornell University and was awarded the first Random House Publishing Studies fellowship at New York University, where she attended graduate school. She is serving as faculty for Maryland.

Ronnie Kauder is currently a Senior Practitioner-in-Residence at the Heldrich Center, where she has profiled promising practices in One-Stop Career Centers across the nation, advised the September 11th Fund with the performance evaluation and management of its Employment Assistance Program for those affected by the events of 9/11, helped to design a workforce information system for the New York City Workforce Investment Board, and facilitated a strategic planning process that led to the preparation of New Jersey’s Comprehensive Employment Systems plan for increasing employment for individuals with disabilities. In 2007-2008, she facilitated state planning teams in transforming their workforce systems as part of the Employment and Training Administration’s Transformational Forums. Ms. Kauder has directed the operation of publicly funded career centers in the northeastern United States designed to help job seekers find employment and career development resources and to work with businesses to assist them in identifying suitable candidates for employment and training. Early in her career, she was on the staff of the U.S. Department of Labor, where she served as the Government’s primary representative to elected and appointed officials for federally funded workforce programs. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics. She is a faculty member for the state of Connecticut.

Robert B. Nicholas had a 27-year career with the New Jersey Department of Human Services that included 3 years as Deputy Commissioner for Operations and 10 years as Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities. In addition to his work at the Heldrich Center, he serves as a consultant to the Tennessee Division of Mental Retardation Services’ Employment First Initiative and is a former consultant to the University of Tennessee Center on Disability and Employment on two Office of Disability Employment Policy-funded projects to expand the capacity of One-Stop Centers to serve people with disabilities. Dr. Nicholas holds a B.A. in Political Science from Maryville College, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, an M.S.W. in Social Welfare Policy from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Social Welfare Policy and Administration from Rutgers University. He is serving as faculty for Minnesota.

Damon Terzaghi currently serves as a Policy Associate for the Center for Workers with Disabilities and the National Association of State Medicaid Directors at the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). The Center for Workers with Disabilities provides technical assistance to and between state disability employment programs as they exercise options to develop or enhance work incentives and strengthen programs serving persons with disabilities. Prior to joining APHSA, Damon worked for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services in the Oregon Department of Human Services. His professional experience includes data collection, research, policy development, and collaboration building for a variety of programs providing employment support for individuals with disabilities. Damon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Willamette University. He is serving as faculty for the state of Maryland.

Nancy R. Weiss, MSW has worked in the disabilities field for over 30 years. Prior to her affiliation with the University of Delaware, she was the Executive Director of TASH, an international advocacy association committed to full inclusion for people with disabilities. Ms. Weiss also served as an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University and was the Director of Community Services for the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. Ms. Weiss is the former Executive Director of Community Systems, Inc., an agency providing progressive supports for adults with disabilities in Delaware. Ms. Weiss advocates for person-centered, ethical, and humane supports; she has written and spoken extensively on these topics.