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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 15, 2008 CONTACT: Sarah Mitchell Executive Director / President (609) 292-9742 smitchell@njpanda.org NJP&A Appoints Four Disability Rights Activists to Its Governing Board Trenton, NJ -- Sarah W. Mitchell, executive director/president of New Jersey Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (NJP&A) announced the appointment of four New Jerseyans to its Governing Board. As individuals with disabilities or family members, these individuals have an active history of working on behalf of people with disabilities. NJP&A serves as New Jersey's designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities providing information and referral and a broad range of advocacy services, including legal representation in numerous cases in state and federal courts. The new Board members are: Sharol A. Lewis, MD , a resident of Lebanon, NJ, is medical director of Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Dr. Lewis is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist with a diverse background as a provider, a health policy consultant, and a health systems partner focused on increasing access to healthcare and improving health outcomes. Through her Governor's appointment to the NJ State Public Health Council and the State Health Planning Board, Dr. Lewis maintains an active involvement in state health policy. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Northern NJ Maternal Child Health Consortium, the local Department of Human Services Mental Health Board, and the local Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Minority Concerns. Andrew T. McGeady , of Jackson, NJ, works for Home Depot in Howell and Cosimo's Pizza in Freehold. He also attends Ocean County College. Mr. McGeady is an active volunteer with Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Howell, managing the church's website. As a speaker on the topic of disabilities, Mr. McGeady has presented at Allies, Inc.'s National Transition Conferences and at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. Holly E. Wetscher , a resident of Westfield, NJ, is a recognized activist on behalf of people with disabilities. Ms. Wetscher is a rehabilitation counselor by profession and currently is a human resources associate with the Cerebral Palsy League in Cranford, NJ. She serves on the Executive Committee of the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities, is chairperson of the NJ Women with Disabilities Healthcare Task Force, acting chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the Alliance for Disabled in Action, Inc., and a member of the Union County Advisory Board on the Disabled. Ms. Wetscher has been a past recipient of Union County's Woman of Excellence Award in recognition of her work in the area of health care. Kathleen F. Wood resides in Bayonne, NJ, and is director of the Hudson Branch Office of the independent living center Heightened Independence and Progress in Hackensack. Ms. Wood has a long record of working on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. In addition to her NJP&A appointment, she serves as vice-chair of the NJ Statewide Independent Living Council. She also is vice-chair of the NJ Association of Centers for Independent Living and chair of the Hudson County Human Services Advisory Council. Many other governmental and private organizations benefit from Ms. Wood's expertise, including the State Rehabilitation Advisory Council of the NJ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the NJ Network of Organizations for Blind and Visually Impaired, and Hudson County Visiting Homemakers Professional Advisory Board. NJP&A's seventeen-member Governing Board ensures that the organization's activities focus on areas most important to consumers with disabilities and their families. The Board also ensures that protection and advocacy services are provided to traditionally underserved and unserved populations. ###

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