Presenter Bios

Michele Bromley (Portland State University)

Michele Bromley is the IT Accessibility Coordinator for the Office of Information Technology at Portland State University (PSU). In this capacity, she serves as a digital accessibility resource for the university—providing support, technical direction, and assessment related to the accessibility of new and existing information and communication technologies. Michele also currently serves on the Executive Council for the Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN). Her primary areas of expertise are accessible digital design, digital accessibility validation, alternative media, and adaptive technology. Personally, she is an avid Star Wars and Firefly fan and loves spending time with her two kiddos.

Jocelyn Darshana (Oregon State University)

Jocelyn brings a vibrant sense of playfulness to class, and the practice of svādhyāya, or self-study, informs a major part of all her offerings. While her personal practice has matured over the course of 25 years, Jocelyn has been a yoga and meditation teacher since 2010, with extensive training in Dance, Music, Theatre, Martial Arts, and Massage Therapy. Jocelyn has trained primarily with the ShambhavAnanda School of Yoga, where she studied the meditation and tantric practices of Kashmir Shaivism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Jocelyn remains committed to honoring Yoga's roots, to equity and ongoing accessibility in practice spaces. ERYT-500, YACEP, MA in Applied Ethics (Spring 2021) through Oregon State University.

Eileen Dowty (Lewis and Clark College)

Eileen Dowty is the Associate Director of Student Support Services at Lewis and Clark College. Eileen has been in higher education for thirty years (TRIO, Writing Centers) and disability services for nearly twenty of those years. When not at work, Eileen loves to garden and is a textile artist.

Jen Dugger Spalding (Portland State University)

Jen Dugger Spalding is the Director of the Disability Resource Center at Portland State University and has been in the field of disability resources and services for more than fifteen years. Jen has worked at PSU since 2012. Jen recently came off of a four year stint with the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) where she served three years as a Director at Large and then one year as the board’s Equity Officer. Jen also just resigned from her role as co-chair of the LGBTQA Knowledge and Practice Community for AHEAD (which she held for 12 years). Jen proudly served four years on the board of the ACLU of Oregon (2014-2018) as well.

Kate Gallagher (Oregon State University)

Kate has been teaching yoga for thirteen years and meditation, Buddhism, and yogic philosophy for six. She is an avid practitioner of Mindful Self-Compassion and a trained teacher of the method through the UCSD Center for Mindfulness. Kate earned her Master’s Degree in Applied Ethics at OSU; her thesis examined the relationship between motherhood and spiritual insight in the biographies of female Buddhist exemplars. In 2018, Kate had the privilege to spend a year in a solitary meditation and study retreat in a cabin in the redwoods. She currently works as the Contemplative Studies Initiative Coordinator at OSU and teaches Contemplative Studies minor courses in the School of History, Philosophy and Religion and The School of Psychological Science.

Sam Gensler (Lewis and Clark College)

Sam Gensler (he, him, his) uses is a graduating senior in the theater program at Lewis and Clark College.

Jewls Griesmeyer Krentz (Portland State University)

Jewls Griesmeyer Krentz (she, her, hers) is an Access Counselor and Consultant at the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at Portland State University (PSU) since 2013 where she enjoys finding creative, collaborative, and social justice-driven ways to promote equity and inclusion for PSU students and the PSU community. Jewls is currently the ORAHEAD Web Communications Officer and has served on the ORAHEAD board for over five years. She co-chairs the Blind and Low Vision Knowledge and Practice Community at AHEAD, and serves as a mentor for the AHEAD Start Academy for new(er) disability services professionals. Jewls received her Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from PSU in 2008 and is a PhD candidate in Adult and Higher Education at Oregon State University. Her doctoral work focuses on international and immigrant students with disabilities, disability identity, and intersectionality. Prior to coming to PSU, Jewls had a private counseling practice and served as a commissioner on the city of Portland Commission on Disability. In her spare time, Jewls enjoys the outdoors, art, and theater, especially when shared with her family.

Matthew Mahoney (Willamette University)

My name is Matthew Mahoney. I am a freshman, soon-to-be sophomore, at Willamette University. I have Autism which I see personally only as a neurodifference. I have declared a double major in Communications and Art History. Some of my special interests in Communications include public discourses around Autism and neurodiversity theory. I am president of a newly formed neurodivergent student union at my university. We have 14 active members. In the next couple of years, I hope to educate the university community and the wider world on neurodiversity sharing my own story and coming up with my own theories. I plan to get a master’s and Ph.D. so I can be a university professor and continue contributing to this body of knowledge. I have written extensively about the racial history in my hometown Dallas, Texas and will be undergoing a grant over the summer to rethink Surrealism in public memory and discuss in depth a lesser known woman surrealist.

Ira McKinzie (Portland Community College)

Ira McKinzie is a student leader at Portland Community College whose pronouns are they/them/theirs. Ira is a Queer, disabled student who is Autistic, deals with mental illness, and experiences chronic pain. They work at PCC for the Queer Resource Center, the Office of International Student Services, and Disability Services. This year, Ira has sat on the committee for Accessible College Culture, and committees to establish a disability-centered honor society and a Disability Cultural Center at PCC. Ira helps host a monthly student town hall on disability issues on campus. In the future, Ira would like to pursue a Master's Degree in Student Leadership and Higher-Ed Administration.

Nat Orr (Lewis and Clark College)

Nat Orr (she, her, hers) is a junior majoring in psychology at Lewis and Clark College.

Kaela Parks (Portland Community College)

Kaela Parks is the Director of Disability Services at Portland Community College where she co-chairs the institution's Accessibility Council. She has been active in professional associations, serving as national chair of the Disability Knowledge Community within NASPA, co-chair of the Standing Committee on Technology within the Association on Higher Education and Disability, and past-president of ORAHEAD. She was co-editor of the publication titled “Beyond the ADA: Proactive Policy and Practice for Higher Education” and has authored blog posts and chapters in texts related to Open Education. She is a frequent presenter at both regional and national conferences. In her spare time she loves crafting, cooking, and getting out in the woods with family.

Laila Pickett (Willamette University)

Hello all, My name is Laila Pickett I am a first year at Willamette University majoring in Biology and Minoring in Chemistry. After graduating Willamette I plan on attending medical school to pursue a career in neuroscience.

Carol Raymundo (Linn-Benton Community College)

Carol Raymundo is the Director for the Center of Accessibility Resources at Linn-Benton Community College. She has over 20 years experience working in higher education and has been with the department for 13 years.