Four individuals from North Carolina have been appointed by Governor Josh Stein to the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD). The new appointees will serve on the board, which represents nearly 200,000 people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) across all 100 counties in the state.
The newly appointed members are:
Demi Eckoff, who holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Eckoff has a rare form of congenital muscular dystrophy, lives independently, and mentors others with I/DD. She resides in Durham.
Mary Grillo serves as Director of Social Work for the Department of Adult Correction. In her role, she oversees aftercare planning for individuals who are incarcerated and living with mental illnesses, I/DD, and complex medical issues. Grillo has over two decades of experience in behavioral health and criminal justice settings. She lives in Wake County.
Kimberly Hernandez works as a peer mentor for Chatham Trades. She was one of four keynote speakers at the North Carolina State of the Art conference in October 2024 and received the Southeast Postsecondary Education Alliance Deb Hart Student Leadership Award. Hernandez is based in Siler City.
Kenneth Kelty is an administrative assistant at Triangle Disability and Autism Services and also works as a Social/Clinical Research Assistant and Disability Advocate at the UNC Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities. His work focuses on policy, postsecondary education, and leadership training. Kelty hosts the podcast Exceeding Expectations with Kenneth Kelty and serves on the board of the Southeastern Postsecondary Education Alliance. He lives in Chapel Hill.
The NCCDD consists of 40 members appointed by the governor; sixty percent must be people with I/DD or their family members. Other council members include state legislators, senior state agency officials, representatives from Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations (LME/MCO), and service providers.
The council identifies challenges facing people with I/DD throughout North Carolina and funds projects that support its Five-Year State Plan as well as objectives set forth by federal law under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act).
According to information provided by NCCDD: “The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) works to assure that people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families participate in the design of, and have access to needed community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and inclusion in all areas of community life.” The organization adds: “Through its Five-Year Plan, the Council identifies and funds innovative projects and initiatives that promote the goals of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) for all North Carolinians.” More details about NCCDD can be found at www.nccdd.org
