Rebecca Cokley

Rebecca Cokley is the Program Officer for the Ford Foundation’s first-ever U.S. Disability Rights program, which is focused on strengthening the field, driving efforts at disconnecting disability and poverty, building a pipeline of diverse leadership, and mobilizing resources toward disability rights work.

Prior to joining Ford, Rebecca was the co-founder and Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, where she built out a progressive policy platform that protected the rights and services disabled people depend on for survival. At CAP, she stewarded a campaign that resulted in an unprecedented 12 presidential candidates developing disability policy platforms.

A three-time presidential appointee, Rebecca served in key policy roles at the U.S. Department of Education (where she introduced the language of the “ADA Generation") and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as oversaw diversity and inclusion efforts for the White House. During this time she also served as Executive Director for the National Council on Disability.

Rebecca has spoken at Netroots Nation, New York City Comic-Con, Yale University, the Women’s March National Conference and given a TedX talk. Rebecca has published with The Body Is Not An Apology, Rewire, CNN, Refinery 29, the Washington Post, and been a guest on MSNBC and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Rebecca sits on the board of directors for Rockwood Leadership Institute, the NY Women’s Foundation, and Common Cause and is an Equity Advisory Board member for Sephora. Rebecca has a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz where she was a Karl S. Poster Scholar.

(Photo of Rebecca Cokley standing against a red background.)

Claudia L. Gordon

Claudia L. Gordon is a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities, leveraging over 30 years of versatile professional expertise and a personal mission to ensure equitable opportunities for all. She currently serves as the Senior Accessibility Strategist with T-Mobile US, Inc., driving strategies for a disability-inclusive culture and an accessible, equitable work environment.

Gordon has held senior leadership positions with Sprint Corporation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Council on Disability, and the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center. During the Obama-Biden Administration, she served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Associate Director of Public Engagement for the White House Office of Public Engagement. As a Biden administration appointee, she also served on the National Council on Disability, notably as Chair. 

Claudia Gordon volunteers her time and expertise on numerous boards and advisory groups, including the Washington, DC American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU-DC) Affiliate Board, where she is also their representative to the National ACLU Board. Her lived experience as an immigrant at the intersections of race, disability, and gender informs her work, with a strong emphasis on disabled individuals with multiple marginalized identities.

Recognized for her unrelenting commitment to advocacy, compliance, civic engagement, and mentoring, Gordon has received accolades from the American Association of People with Disabilities, Google, AT&T Humanity of Connection, National Disability Mentoring Coalition, National Association of the Deaf, National Black Deaf Advocates, and The Root 100. A native of Jamaica, she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a graduate of Howard University and American University’s Washington College of Law.

(Photo of Claudia L. Gordon with her hands clasped under her chin.)

Date: May 8, 2025

Venue: Suburban Collection Showplace

Title: Disability Rights! Accessibility Beyond Compliance in Michigan

Location: Novi, Michigan

Time: 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Cost: Free to Attend

Registration Opens April 1st!

(Image is the logo for Suburban Collection Showplace)