We did it! We launched the Inclusive Postsecondary Education Association! This is a huge milestone for the field and for me personally! Students with intellectual disability deserve true access to higher education—and all the opportunities, independence, and sense of belonging that come with it. As programs have continued to grow across the country, I’ve seen firsthand how much our field needs a place for community and a unified voice. I don’t want programs to operate in isolation or families to struggle to find clear information. Most importantly, I want student and alumni voices to be centered in shaping the future of inclusive postsecondary education.
I also believe deeply that our field needs long-term stability to thrive. Grants fade, priorities shift, and leadership changes, but a membership-based association gives us the infrastructure to build something lasting. Through this work, we can strengthen professional development, influence policy, share resources, and support strategic growth nationwide. At the heart of it all is a simple truth I hold close: people with intellectual disability belong in college and in community life. The IPSE Association exists to protect, strengthen, and expand that reality for generations to come.
Since 2019, I have been having informal consultation calls with Think College about the possibility of creating a national membership organization—inspired by the success we had experienced with the Southeast Postsecondary Education Alliance (SEPSEA) and an idea Think College had been mulling over since 2015. It’s hard to believe that, for me, what began as an idea scribbled on a napkin during a TPSID Project Directors meeting in Orlando—with Maurice Williams, Carol Britton Laws, and Misty Parsley—has now grown into an international organization.
In August of 2021, Meg called, she asked me to consult on the Think College Network grant application and proposed that SEPSEA be a paid partner on the grant to support the replication of regional alliance and the creation of a national membership organization. I was thrilled at the chance to contribute to such meaningful work. That October, Think College received the grant, and in December a new position was posted. I was hopeful I would be considered—and by February 2022, I was officially hired! I hit the ground running.
During those first months, I worked closely with Meg Grigal, Cate Weir, Danie Roberts-Dahm, Clare Papay, Becky Lazo, and Chelsea Stinnett—supported by Stephan Smith (Executive Director of AHEAD)—to turn ideas into action. Through many internal meetings, document reviews, and planning sessions, we developed a clear path forward.
In November 2023, I had what I didn’t know would be my last one-on-one conversation with Debra Hart. We were talking about how to finally get the membership organization off the ground when she simply said, “Just F-ing do it!” Those words have echoed in my mind ever since—and they’ve fueled every step we’ve taken since that day.
Building the Foundation
By May 2024, it was time to expand the circle. I invited a group of leaders and colleagues to join me in forming an external planning committee: Misty Parsley, John Andresen, April Regester, Katie Norland, Beth Myers, Karly Grifasi, and Brianna Shults, along with Meg, Clare, and Danie from Think College.
We began meeting regularly to refine the vision, mission, and purpose of what would become the Inclusive Postsecondary Education Association (IPSE Association). Later, we welcomed Brenda Barrio and Wil Francis to the team.
In October 2024—just before State of the Art (SOTA)—we met in person for our first official planning team meeting. Those days were filled with energy, collaboration, and optimism. We divided into committees, finalized key documents, and started putting structure behind our shared vision.
(Pictured from L to R: Susanna Miller-Raines, IPSE Association's first member outside the board to join, Sascha Reed, and Misty Parsley).
Making It Official
On May 20, 2025, we reached a major milestone: We officially incorporated the Inclusive Postsecondary Education Association and voted in our first board of directors. That same day, we made a bold decision—to launch membership at 2025 SOTA. The countdown began!
Over the next five months, our team accomplished more than I could have imagined. We purchased a membership management platform, launched a community-building space, finalized member types, dues, and benefits, and opened our first bank account. Every step made the organization more real.
Launch Day: October 21, 2025
Launch Day is a blur of excitement, relief, and gratitude. Standing on stage at SOTA, I looked out into the audience and caught a glimpse of two of my dearest friends and biggest cheerleaders, Sheryl Arno and Mark Crenshaw. Their presence meant the world to me. I wouldn’t be here without the introduction Mark made years ago—or the chance that Daniel Crimmins and Stacey Ramirez took on me back in 2012, when they invited me to join the Center for Leadership in Disability and the Georgia Inclusive Postsecondary Education Consortium.
To everyone who has been part of this journey—those mentioned here and those I may have missed—thank you.
And to my beautiful wife, Michelle Raines—thank you for your love, patience, and unwavering support through all the late nights and long to-do lists. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Well, we did it, Deb. Cheers to all of us!