We are a small, but fierce, team of parents, advocates and other working to effect change, but we have a lot of work ahead of us.
Guy Stephens
Founder and Executive Director
Guy lives in Southern Maryland with his wife and two amazing children. Guy started The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint to raise awareness about the use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms across our nation. He has been meeting with local, state and federal lawmakers to support legislation to ban seclusion in schools across the nation.
Alexander J. Campbell
Social Media Director
Alex Campbell is an advocate for students with disabilities and the Executive Director of Campbell Advocacy. Alex is an individual who has autism and an amazing self-advocate. When he was in elementary school, he was subjected to restraint and seclusion for disciplinary reasons. In 2014, Alex began advocating for the need to regulate the use of restraint and seclusion.
Pamela Ononiwu
Podcast Director
Pamela believes in compassion, care, and empathy for the most marginalized, vilified, and often forgotten amongst us. Recently, it propelled her to run for School Board in an effort to advance educational policy for special education and other minority children. Pam hopes to continue the conversation on researched best practices in education policy.
Cheryl Poe
Director of Diversity Issues
Cheryl Poe is the founder and owner of Advocating 4 Kids, Inc a Special Education Advocacy organization that provides resources, information, and workshops to parents and professionals with a special focus on addressing needs of Black and Brown children and those from lower-socio economic status. Cheryl is the mother two boys with learning disabilities ages 23 and 21.
Jennifer Litton Tidd
Director of Advocacy
Jennifer is a wife, mother of 4 wonderful sons, 2 of whom are autistic, and 30-year political activist who makes the world more beautiful for more people. She has lobbied on state and federal levels, organized rallies and civil disobedience, committed to societal change and still believes we live in a system where people have great power.
Beth Tolley
Director of Educational Strategy
Beth retired in 2018 from a leadership position in Virginia’s lead agency for early intervention for infants and toddlers. Her experience as a parent and grandparent of children who have had or have behavioral challenges has fueled her passion to improve the lives or other vulnerable children and their families through education, mutual support, and advocacy.
Daya Chaney Webb
Legislative Director
Daya is a mom to two teenage sons (one with autism), Daya lives in Towson and as been an education advocate in Baltimore County since 2013 serving as advisory council Chair to the Board of Education, providing guidance on topics like special education needs in the county, organizing through grassroots initiatives and coalition building with strong partnerships.
Alexa Zagorites
Contributor
Alexa is an amazing advocate. Alexa’s daughter Gigi was featured in a story that received national media coverage when a photograph of Gigi secluded in a make shift isolation cell was taken by another student. Alexa fought back, she worked with other parents and advocates to get the first piece of legislation passed in the state of Virginia, Gigi’s Law, a step in the right direction.