Rachel Jacob (she/her) is a resident of the Hudson Valley, New York.  She brings to the table an extensive career spanning over a decade in the field of Human Services. Her journey commenced as a Direct Support Professional, a role she worked her way from to become a Day Habilitation manager. Over time, Rachel’s dedication and expertise led her to assume the position of a staff development trainer, where she championed the establishment and facilitation of a local cohort for the NADSP credentialing program, formerly structured as a portfolio model.

Rachel has also worked as a Director for an inclusive creative arts center, as well as a Director of Wellness within a Mental Health organization. Currently, she also lends her talents and skills to the Communications and Marketing team at the Regional Centers for Workforce Development in New York. Having joined NADSP part-time in the recent spring, Rachel enthusiastically embraces the opportunity to dedicate herself fully to the organization’s mission and objectives. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Visual Arts Education from SUNY New Paltz and a Master of Public Administration from Marist College.

Rachel’s unique blend of experience, spanning supervisory roles and direct engagement with individuals living with disabilities and mental health conditions, profoundly informs her approach to empowering Direct Support Professionals.  Her workforce philosophy can be encapsulated as, “Make it passionate, make it purposeful, make it personal.”

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Kathy Brown has over 30 years of experience in the field of Human Services. Over time and many roles (DSP, Front Line Supervisor, Residential Services Director, Director of Learning/ Professional Development, CQL certified Trainer, Human Rights Chairperson, NADSP Faculty member) Kathy has become a true advocate of Human Rights and the commitment that all people deserve a happy life defined by their hopes and dreams. Kathy works diligently believing that for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities this can be achieved through true person-centered quality supports and services. Kathy is passionate that a strong, credentialed workforce can provide those quality services.

Desiree started her career by working 28 years as a service provider providing residential and community services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a service provider and in her role with NYSACRA she focused her work on the facilitation of cultural change in the delivery of services to individuals with intellectual disabilities by supporting a focus on individual’s personal needs, and valued outcome for integrated opportunities, the development of new leaders and strong teams in a variety of settings, and the promotion of direct of support professionals in the areas of role recognition and professional development. In her work at NYSACRA, Desiree worked on Direct Support Professional workforce development through participation in the New York State Developmental Disabilities Talent Development Consortium Workgroup focusing on the development of the DSP and Front line Supervisor Core Competencies and the implementation and promotion of New York State’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Regional Centers for Workforce Transformation fostering the education and development of direct support professionals in the areas of the New York State DSP core competencies and the NADSP code of ethics. She has worked closely as part of a mentoring team with the Direct Support Professionals Alliance of New York State (DSPANYS) and as staff liaison for NYSACRA’s Workforce Committee. In 2015 she joined the faculty for the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals and has participated in providing training opportunities to help develop a culture of Direct Support Professional recognition and development throughout New York State. Additionally in this role she has presented webinars to promote Direct Support Professional education and development, and has published an article about guardianship and supported decision making in the Frontline Initiative. In the past two years Desiree has worked with CUNY/Hunter College on the design and pilot of a model of supported decision making, as an alternative to guardianship for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Desiree has a Master’s Degree from Sage Graduate School in Health Services Administration.

No. The virtual training is a cost effective alternative for organizations and individuals to experience a new abbreviated version of the full day training. To learn more about the full day training, click here.

Yes, we have updated our registration to include multiple registrations. You can purchase up to 10 registrations at once.

Yes. All registered attendees will receive a certificate at the conclusion of the training.

Yes. All attendees will have the option on their zoom screen to enable live captions. If an attendee requires a reasonable accommodation for this training, please email NADSP Office and Communications Manager, Nicole Dama at ndama@nadsp.org by March 10, 2025.

If you have questions about registration, please email NADSP’s Chief Operating Officer, Desiree Loucks Baer at dloucksbaer@nadsp.org.