Jeffrey Cooper, MS, MBA – Community Principal Investigator Jeff is President of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Central Pennsylvania, a non-profit that provides services for children and adults with disabilities through the provision of speech, physical, occupational, and developmental therapies; assistive technology; adult day training; inclusive childcare and preschool; and community-based assistance in daily living. UCP serves a 15 county region through thirteen adult centers, three community homes, and a children’s center. He oversees all parts of the NIH grant awarded to UCP. His role is critical in selecting the UCP clients, family members, and agency care providers involved in the ongoing discussions with the Temple team, supervising the UCP Central PA study coordinator, attending all monthly team meetings, reviewing and commenting on all stages of the analysis, and producing and reviewing reports.
Chad Dewey - Community Member
Doug McClintock – Community Member Doug is a train buff. His hobbies are trains, O and HO gauge, and he is planning to set up his trains and run them again. He is also into the Star Wars movies. Doug has met the three guys who played Darth Vader, Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter, and Chewbacca the Wookie from all 3 Star Wars. He likes the technology from Star Wars.
Breiann Metoxen – Project Coordinator Bre is the Project Director of Life Fit and has been working for UCP since November 2007. As the director, she not only gets to work with consumers one-on-one, but she also gets the opportunity to continually search for new programs to initiate so that Life Fit can extend its supports and services to those in need. Bre grew up in Green Bay Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire where she earned bachelors in Kinesiology, Exercise Management. She was a member of the Army National Guard for eight years and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom II. She recently moved to Harrisburg from Chicago where she had managed a fitness center for active older adults.
William Schultz – Community Member Bill has been active in the UCP community for many years, beginning in fourth grade when he attended school at the UCP Center in Camp Hill. He was born with cerebral palsy, but has truly led a “life without limits.” Bill was a member of one of the first graduating classes at Trinity High School and graduated cum laude from Wilkes College with a degree in accounting. After college, Bill worked in many positions for Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry and is now retired after 33 years. He has served four terms on the UCP Central PA Board of Directors, acting in many roles such as Vice President, Treasurer, and President. He is also actively involved with the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, which he helped create, and the Adult Committee of the Developmental Disabilities Council which he has been appointed to by four different state governors.
Kathy Seiderer – Community Member Kathy has been employed with UCP of Central PA for eleven years currently as Assistant Director of Adult Services. She resides in Jonestown PA with her husband Jim, daughter Shannon 16 and sometimes her daughter Kim 23 who is about to graduate from Arizona State University with a Masters Degree in Speech and Language Pathology. They moved to PA from Long Island, New York about thirteen years ago. She started her career in NY working as an aide in a state run facility, spent five years as a live-in "house parent" at a residential facility with UCP of Greater Suffolk County and at this point in time has been working with and advocating for Individuals with disabilities for close to thirty-four years.
Fran Shade – Community Member Fran is the mother of Sara, a 27 year-old young woman with multiple disabilities. Fran is also a member of Cumberland/Perry Residential Task Force and a retired elementary school teacher from Carlisle, PA.
Diane Smith - Community Member Pam Speakman – Community Member Pam lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband, Bob, and two children, Lauren 13 and Emily 6. Her daughter Lauren has special needs. She attended preschool at UCP’s Capital Area Children’s Center and is currently a 7th grader. Pam works part time at UCP in the Family Support Department. She is also very involved in the Mechanicsburg School District, participating and holding offices in such groups as the PTO, PTO President Advisory Committee, Wellness Committee, District Strategic Planning Committee, Alternative Routes Committee, Full Day Kindergarten Steering Committee, Special Education Parent Advisory Committee, and PATTAN’s Parent/School Collaboration Committee. Pam’s hobbies include spending time with her family and friends, shopping, and reading. Tonya Cotton – Past Community Member Tonya is currently employed at CPARC as a Residential Supervisor in one of CPARC’s group home facilities. She oversees the day to day operations of the home where there are 3 individuals residing. Tonya has worked in human services for over 11 years and has been employed by CPARC over 9 years. She became interested in the field because she has a family member who is mentally challenged and a son who has ADHD. The love and compassion that Tonya has for her family help her provide quality care to them and the individuals she serves.
Clint Wright – Past Community Member Clint’s accident (he fell off of a building, 13' high, landed on his head on an asphalt parking area) happened in 1995 in Steamboat, Colorado. He was living there after he had gone to College at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins. Clint had a good job. He was a brewer for Steamboat Brewery. Despite the fact that he drank a lot of good beer, he was a very healthy guy. He spent a lot of time outside back country skiing, snow camping, bike riding, rock and ice climbing. He also became a vegetarian. Some would say that choosing that type of diet is not very healthy. That could be true but, he has not had any problems with his health. Lack of protein is what is often questioned. He does not have a good comeback to this query. But, he wants to remind whoever reads this that he is not a stuck up guy. However even with his lack of protein, he has managed to have quite a healthy life. Besides his head injury in '95, he is hardly ever under the weather. Clint works part time at The West Shore YMCA. “Basically, I exercise to live. What I mean by this, is that my job gives me lots of interaction with people that think the same as I do. My job also helped get into this group. While I still do not understand exactly what this group is supposed to do or to help in figuring, I am more than willing to help.” |