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
KASSA Campaign 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
Content Producer
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.
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.
Alexa Zagorites
Contributor and Instagram Manager
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.
