Council Staff

Brent has been working with intellectual and developmental disability communities in Oregon and Utah for the last 29 years. He spent the first 12 years of his career working for provider agencies in various roles, including as a direct support professional, house manager and director of residential services for a provider agency. For the past 17 years, Brent has worked for ODDS. He played an instrumental role in developing ODDS’ statewide quality assurance process. He has managed the ODDS Quality Assurance Unit for the last six years. Brent has been serving in the role of Interim Executive Director for the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities since August 19, 2024.  

Brent completed his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University and has a Master of Business Administration from George Fox University. 

Brent is a native Oregonian. He and his wife, Jennifer have four children and one grandchild. Brent enjoys running in his free time, loves to cook and bake, and garden.   

As the Advocacy and Leadership Development Coordinator, Hannah builds relationships with individuals, families, and agencies across Oregon to identify policy priorities, facilitate knowledge sharing and skill building platforms, and create pathways for participation in advocacy.  

Hannah has 22 years of experience in community building work, with 13 of those years supporting families, youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to shape decisions about services and advocate for full inclusion in school and community life. Her work as a disability advocacy project manager at Wandsworth Care Alliance in the UK, as a special education teacher in rural Oregon and formative experiences in direct support, have shaped her belief in the dignity and freedom of every person and the transformative power of collective action on local, regional and statewide systems.  Hannah’s has also held a variety of roles in organizational capacity building and international justice work.  

Hannah holds a B.A. in International Studies from Portland State University, an M.A. in International Development from Brown University, and completed post-graduate research work in Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London. Her greatest joys, in between spending with her husband and five-year-old daughter, include cooking, bicycling and long conversations with friends. 

As the Policy Director at Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, Matt’s work focuses on helping Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) advance system and policy changes that strengthen self-determination. 

His passion for the importance of self-determination for people with I/DD is rooted in a longstanding commitment to social justice and public service.  That commitment is reflected in previous work as a court-appointed criminal defense attorney, judicial clerk, and disability advocate.  In his work as a disability advocate at Disability Rights Oregon, Matt demanded justice for Oregonians having difficulty getting or keeping a job because of disability-related legal barriers.  He also assisted individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness in asserting rights related to self-determination in decisions over their psychiatric treatment.  Finally, he developed considerable expertise in fair housing and has fought to eliminate illegal housing discrimination, so all people have housing choices free from discriminatory practices. 

He received his B.A. in urban studies and political science from Stanford University, and a J.D. from Gonzaga School of Law.  Matt was born and raised in Oregon, and he and his partner are happy to call Oregon home.  In his free time, he enjoys gardening, traveling, and gazing at the stars. 

Johanne has more than 20 years of experience creating visual and written person-centered communications and strategies with a passion for ensuring inclusive and equitable access to information that reaches those most underserved and underrepresented in our communities.

Canadian born, Johanne completed her undergraduate degree in Visual Communication at the University of Alberta, Canada. In 2023, Johanne completed her Master of Science in Health Communication at Boston University, focusing on strategic planning, plain language and creating accessible and person-centered information and resources.

Also, as a mom of a son with autism and a daughter recently diagnosed with ADHD, Johanne has experienced firsthand the challenges and injustices that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families often face, igniting a personal goal to be part of creating communications that remove stigmas and build awareness about DD services and advocacy initiatives while empowering people with developmental disabilities and their families to tell their stories.

Johanne lives in Happy Valley with her family and enjoys reading, traveling, and exploring the many beautiful hiking trails around the state.

Kate is the Operations Administrator with the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities. Kate ensures that the Council has the proper systems in place to effectively create system and policy change.  

Kate received an undergraduate degree in English and Sociology & Anthropology from Lewis & Clark College then began her career in arts non-profit administration. While she loved her time working in the arts, Kate’s true professional passion is public service. In 2023, Kate completed her Master of Public Policy at Portland State University, with a focus on policy analysis and social policy. There, Kate developed a love and respect for state, county, and local governments, and their respective power to impact people’s lives.   

In her free time, Kate enjoys reading, dancing, and searching for the best dessert spots in Portland!