Executive Director // Kim Gibson

kgibson@disabilitylink.org ext.102

Dr. Kim Gibson, a committed leader and advocate, brings over three decades of experience in advancing disability rights, fostering diversity, and championing inclusion. Her impactful contributions to the Independent Living (IL) movement have left a lasting impression on the communities she has served.

Originally hailing from Idaho, Kim embarked on her journey in disability advocacy in 1988. Her path led her through Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Texas before she assumed the role of Executive Director at disABILITY LINK in Georgia in August 2013. Driven by a passion for the IL philosophy, she has dedicated her career to expanding programs that prioritize diversity and inclusion.

Kim holds a Doctorate and Master’s degree in social work, a testament to her commitment to continuous learning and excellence. Her academic journey was marked by the prestigious Neta Kolasa Scholarship, recognizing her unwavering dedication to social justice.

As a devoted mother to her son, Dustin, and his wife, Pushee, Kim values family and the relationships that enrich her life. She recently welcomed a new service animal, Chipper, continuing her tradition of companionship after the passing of her cherished Charlie.

Throughout her career, Kim has been an ardent supporter of education, serving as a field instructor for individuals pursuing social work, educational, and occupational degrees. Her involvement in various community events, focused on suicide prevention, women’s rights, disability rights, and civil rights, underscores her commitment to advocacy and societal improvement.

Kim has received numerous accolades, including the 2014 National Council of Independent Living (NCIL) “Women’s Caucus Hall of Fame Award” and the 2023 Disability Inclusion Leadership Award from the National Diversity Council. Actively engaged in her community, Kim currently is serving as the President of APRIL (Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living), she continues to uplift organizations through policy advocacy, growth initiatives, and prioritizing the Independent Living Community and philosophy. Through APRIL’s peer-to-peer mentorship program, Kim is a peer mentor for other CILS (Centers for Independent Living). Kim is the past vice-chair of the Southeastern Center Directors Association and has served as a board member of NCIL (National Council of Independent Living), a board member of SILC of GA, and a variety of NCIL subcommittees. She also serves on several local boards and has, in the past, served on various advisory boards in Wyoming appointed by the Governor and boards in Pennsylvania.

Kim continues to work actively in the community, embodying the principles of the Independent Living Philosophy and tirelessly working towards a more inclusive and equitable society.

Deputy Director // William Thomas 

wthomas@disabilitylink.org ext.126

Employment and Referral Coordinator // Chrissie Lee

clee@disabilitylink.org ext. 131

Christina Lee, known as Chrisie, serves as the Employment and Referral Coordinator. With extensive experience in providing services to individuals with disabilities, she is dedicated to making a positive impact in her field. Chrisie attended Western Wyoming University and originates from Idaho, though she currently resides in Wyoming with her husband, two cats, and two schnauzer puppies. She is a proud grandmother to two wonderful grandsons and enjoys traveling whenever possible. Additionally, she is an avid hockey fan, supporting her favorite team, the Vancouver Canucks.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Chrisie Lee smiling.

IT and IL Lead Specialist // Jake Key

jkey@disabilitylink.org ext.125

Jake is the IT and Lead IL Specialist at disABILITY LINK. He discovered at a young age that nothing makes him happier than bettering the lives of others. He has lived in north Georgia for 28 years and has a work history of landscaping / hardscaping. Jake went to college for Computer Programming and is passionate about assisting the disability community to better understand the digital world. Jake states “I have never worked a job like this where I wake up every morning excited to come to work.” His favorite activities include finding new music, meditating, and fiddling with new technology until he learns how it works. Jake is also a person with a disability, as he is Bipolar type 2.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Jake Key smiling.

Volunteer and Administrative Lead Specialist // James Turner

jturner@disabilitylink.org ext.108

James Turner is the Volunteer and Administrative Lead Specialist. James was born in Manhattan, New York and was raised in Hackensack New Jersey. James has Bachelor’s degree in Sociology as well as an Associate’s degree in Family & Children Services. James is a member of the community service Fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, the Sigma Iota Chapter of Valdosta State University.

James has lived in different parts of Georgia, both small and large. When he moved to the Atlanta area he was employed with Home Depot at their cooperate office. In 2013, he became a volunteer and then an intern at disABILITY LINK. In 2015, James joined the team as the Volunteer and Administrative Independent Living Specialist. He states “I love what I do.” He says that he teaches consumers what he learned along the way which he reports is to “Treat volunteering as a job because you never know what it will turn into”.

James reports he enjoys helping others working out, watching football go Denver broncos, and eating steak and seafood.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of James Turner smiling.

ICWP/Community Health Supervisor and Employment ILS // Katrina Parsons

kparsons@disabilitylink.org ext.127

Katrina Parsons is an Employment Training and Independent Living Specialist and an Independent Care Waiver Program Case Manager, she has been in this position since March 2017 after being a volunteer and a job coach at disABILITY LINK. Katrina graduated from Agnes Scott College with a B.A. in Psychology and minor in French. In college, she did an internship in the Special Education program at a high school and volunteered at a summer camp for children with autism. Katrina became interested in working with the disability community after living with her grandfather and aunt that have disabilities. In her free time, Katrina enjoys volunteering with children’s programs at her church, watching family comedies and dance competition shows, adult coloring, and spending time with family.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Katrina Parsons smiling.

ICWP Case Manager and Community Health ILS // Shikha Desai

sdesai@disabilitylink.org ext.123

Shikha Desai is the COVID Pandemic Response Team Supervisor and ICWP Case Manager. Shikha enjoys watching movies, and hanging out with her friends and family during her spare time. Shikha was introduced to the National Federation of the Blind and to the independent living philosophy in 2012 when she received vigorous sleepshade training at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. She completed my core classes at Gwinnett Technical College and all of my credits transferred to Georgia State University where she received both her Bachelor and Master in Social work.  She completed various internships: at the Center for Leadership in Disability from August 2017 to May 2018, disABILITY LINK from August 2018 to May 2019, and at Atlanta Regional Commission May 2019 to August 2019 through the American Association for People with Disabilities.  She is currently on four Board of Directors. She currently studying for my License Master Social Work exam.  She is a passionate and resilient self-starter with strong training and experience in social work.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Shikha Desai smiling.

Information, Referral, & Independent Living Program Coordinator & ICWP Case Manager// Dianne Mckenna

dmckenna@disabilitylink.org ext.122

Diane Mckenna is currently working for disABILITY LINK part-time and is also interning with us. She is employed as our CPRT Community Connector & Housing Specialist. She is originally from New Port Richey, Florida. But she moved to Georgia over 30 years ago.

Picture Description: Shown is a headshot of Diane Mckenna smiling.

Personnel and Finance Assistant // Felicia Banks

fbanks@disabilitylink.org ext.107

Felicia Banks is the Personnel and Finance Assistant. Felicia is a native of Atlanta and the fourth of five children. A graduate of the Atlanta Public School system, Felicia continued her education at Georgia State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public and Urban Affairs (Concentration Area: Criminal Justice), and received a Paralegal Certificate from the Professional Career Development Institute. While attending Georgia State, Felicia worked in the Accounting Department of a major corporation. It was then that she discovered her interest in accounting and the challenges it brings. With more than 20 years of experience working in business of varying sizes, as well as private bookkeeping clients of her own, Felicia is excited to bring her knowledge and experience to disAbility Link. “There’s a lot going on here, and I am definitely excited and happy to be a part of it”.
Felicia’s interests include cooking, working out, sports (as a spectator), gardening, and aromatherapy. Her favorite activities are spending time with family, going to the beach and meditating. She has an entrepreneurial spirit that has led her to create several small businesses as well.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Felicia Banks smiling.

ICWP Case Manager and Community ILS // Felix Eziakor

feziakor@disabilitylink.org ext.105

Felix Eziakor is the ICWP Case Waiver Case Manager and Community Independent Living Specialist. Felix was born and raised Nigeria, West Africa. He graduated from University of New Orleans with a Degree in Economics after relocating from Nigeria to America. Felix has worked for both Departments of Family and Children Services in Louisiana and Georgia as an eligibility determination examiner and as a case manager investigating child abuse and neglect reports. Felix is excited to be ICWP case manager and to use his experience in customer and client care relationship to impact positively on our consumers.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Felix Eziakor smiling.

Employment and Career ILS // Helen Lewis

hlewis@disabilitylink.org ext.130

Helen Lewis enjoys helping anyone she come in contact with, and has 20+ years of experience working with those in need. Working with disABILITY LINK intersects deeply with her personal goals of helping others. She states “I am thankful to have the opportunity to work with this organization.”

Picture Description: Shown is a headshot of Helen Lewis smiling.

 Independent Living and Outreach Specialist // Kendra White

kwhite@disabilitylink.org ext.114

Kendra White is the Independent Living and Outreach Specialist with over 20 years of experience in various government roles. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work, driven by a passion for collaboration and community engagement. Kendra excels in environments where teamwork and making a positive impact are at the forefront. Her extensive background in public service provides her with unique insights that help shape solutions benefiting both individuals and the larger community. Additionally, Kendra’s personal experience as a person with a disability, along with having family members with disabilities, deepens her ability to offer meaningful peer support.

Picture Description: Shown is a headshot of Kendra White smiling.

Health, Wellness, and Resource Specialist // Juanita Anderson

janderson@disabilitylink.org ext.112

Juanita Anderson is the Health, Wellness and Resource Specialist. Juanita is a native to Georgia. Juanita graduated from Gainesville high school before moving to Atlanta. She has a background in the medical field where she volunteers at Dekalb Medical and Georgia Peer Support providing administrative support. Juanita began as an intern at disABILITY LINK before accepting a position as first Executive Assistant and then the Health, Wellness & Resource Independent Living Specialist. High School . Some of her hobbies include Floral designing, interior decorating, dancing and traveling.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Juanita Anderson smiling.

Independent Living Specialist // Marina Fishman

mfishman@disabilitylink.org ext.116

Marina Fishman is the Administrative Support Independent Living Specialist. She is still in school, working on getting her bachelor’s degree in computer science from Georgia State University. Marina has had a lot of personal and outside experiences with various disabilities. In college, she headed a study on autism that garnered attention and awards. Since childhood, Marina has had a keen passion for helping all people. She became particularly interested in working with people with disabilities after taking several disability studies courses in college. This spawned the autism mentioned above study and led her to disABILITY LINK. Marina enjoys playing board games, watching comedy TV shows, playing with her dogs, and spending time with her family and friends in her free time.

Picture Description: Picture above is Marina Fishman giving a soft smile.

Community ILS Casual // Renee Shakir

rshakir@disabilitylink.org 

Renee is the Community Independent Living Specialist with a focus on Nursing Home Transitions. She relocated from Buffalo, New York in 1999. Prior to relocating to Georgia, She worked in many positions where she provided services to individuals with disability. Combined she has over 20 years of experience working with people with disabilities from entry level positions to management positions.

She enjoys linedancing, shopping and spending time with family. Her passion is feeding the homeless and mentoring teen moms.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Renee Shakir smiling.

Janitorial and Maintenance Specialist // Vibert Lawson

Vibert Lawson is the Custodial and Maintenance Specialist at disABILITY LINK. Originally from South America, he moved to the US at the age of nine. He continued and completed his education and graduated from Brooklyn Comprehensive Night High School in 2000, in Brooklyn NY. He joined the military the following year and continued his education taking some college courses at night. His work background includes a variety of retail and customer service positions. He started attending the LEAPS classes in 2016, then became an intern before being offered his current position in 2017.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Vibert Lawson smiling.

Disability Rights and Peer Support Trainers

Disability Rights & Peer Support Training Advocate // Linda Pogue

lpogue@disabilitylink.org ext.128

Linda has a lifetime of relationships with people with disabilities and a 40+ year career of supporting people with disabilities to…live in the community; advocate within service, legal and healthcare systems; develop leaderships skills and opportunities; enhance communication skills; become peer supporters; be recognized as the fully contributing citizens we are; and promote our rights through the Independent Living Movement.

Picture Description: Picture above is a headshot of Linda Pogue smiling. 

Interns/Apprenticeships