Troy Balthazor
Director
Troy Balthazor, M.Ed., ACTCP, serves as Director for the Great Plains ADA Center. Troy has spent 15 years with the Center and the University of Missouri, providing training and education throughout the four-state region and nationally as a member of the ADA National Network. Troy guides the Great Plains ADA Center’s training, technical assistance, and research initiatives and works in tandem with the Knowledge Translation Center at the University of Washington to coordinate regional and national efforts and activities. Troy has spent much of his career promoting the utilization of Universal Design in the built environment, the workplace, and the marketplace, his primary goal being the inclusion of all members of our diverse communities in the activities and environments everyone enjoys. Troy lives in Columbia, Missouri and enjoys fishing, hiking, hockey, second-rate cinema, and spending time with his wife and two wonderful children.
Mike Edwards
Assistant Director
Mike has been with the Great Plains ADA Center since 2001. He directs the ADA Coordinator Certification Training Program (ACTCP), the National ADA Symposium, and the ADA Coordinator Conferences. Mike has extensive experience in coordinating both on-site and virtual conferences on the Americans with Disabilities Act. He has provided numerous trainings on all areas of the ADA as well as technical assistance and consultation to individuals, businesses, and communities.
Rich Sternadori
Senior Program Coordinator
Richard is the senior program coordinator and researcher for the University of Missouri (MU) Great Plains ADA Center since 2008. He has a Master of Arts in Architectural Studies from MU, specializing in environment and behavior. Richard also has a Master of Education in counseling psychology, focusing on disabilities rehabilitation. Richard is directing the Accessible Design Accreditation Initiative (ADAI) program of the ADA Center. He recently concluded a five-year study researching 387 city and county governments across a four-state region, analyzing accessibility, design, and community livability for persons with disabilities. Richard’s background includes high rise and commercial construction with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He served 15 years as a chief building official and zoning administrator, garnering two awards and 13 certifications from the International Code Conference. (ICC) He chaired the Contractor Licensing Committee, which led to the ICBO contractor licensing exams used in all 50 states. Richard was appointed by Governor Joan Finney to the Kansas State Board of Architects/Technical Professions and served a 3-year term. Richard is on the International Code Council Assisted Toileting and Bathing Task Force and served on the Texas state chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusiveness Commission. He is a published author and consultant in issues of accessible design. His educational programs are approved by the ICC and AIA for continuing educational credits.
Ray Petty
Technical Assistance and Capacity-Building Coordinator
Ray Petty has served as the Kansas coordinator for the Great Plains ADA Center since 1994 and serves as Technical Assistance Coordinator for Region VII. Currently one of his regional efforts is to help put together collaborative networks in, and eventually among, the four states in our region. Ray also works to promote accessible recreation activities and resources throughout the Great Plains Region.
Ray has been invested in the independent living and disability rights movement for over 40 years. While in graduate school at KU he was an assistant at the Research and Training Center on Independent Living. He has served on the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns, the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, Assistive Technology for Kansans, and was the State Independent Living Council of Kansas. In the late 80’s and early 90’s he was Executive Director of two independent living centers in Kansas, then coordinated KSDE’s CDC disability prevention grant, and has been involved with the ADA since before it was a law. In 1997 he helped found the ADA Symposium, which has become THE National ADA conference, supported by all 10 ADA Centers. During the past 20 years, he has also been a consultant for local governments as well as secondary and post-secondary educational institutions and private businesses. Ray has been a long-time member of the ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility at the University of Kansas. He coaches more now, but played wheelchair softball for the Kansas City Royals WC softball team, plays WC basketball occasionally, but has recently taken up Pickleball as his recreational outlet of choice.
Espoir Mabengo
Program/Project Coordinator
Espoir provides technical assistance and manages administration of ACTCP membership. He assists in developing and implementing ADA Coordinator Training Conferences and other regional trainings. Espoir also coordinates and implements minority outreach activities across the Great Plains Region. Espoir received his Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Lisa Tucker
Event Manager
Lisa is a 1985 graduate of Southeastern Academy in Kissimmee, FL. She joined the Great Plains ADA Center in 1995. As the Events Manager, Lisa is responsible for the myriad of details and contracts associated with trainings and conferences; including registration, billing, material collection and sharing, airfare and travel accommodations, and evaluation and surveys. She serves as the liaison between the Center and all conference venues as well as all training and conference attendees. Lisa also manages the Center’s electronic communication system, list-serves, and numerous other duties. Although a native Missourian, Lisa works remotely from New York State.
Ryan Smith
Technical Assistance/Training Specialist
Ryan Smith graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in education in 2001, spent the next 11 years teaching history and math and coaching basketball and baseball at rural high schools in Missouri. In 2014 he completed a second bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Columbia College, was accepted into the PhD program at the University of Missouri where he received a Master’s degree in philosophy in 2018. He spent one more year in public education before joining his wife in her small business creating 3D/VR tours. He joined the Great Plains ADA Center in December of 2021, following the same interest in ensuring equal access to educational, financial and employment opportunities for everyone that drove his interest in education.
Jana Burke
Consultant/Social Media Coordinator
Jana Burke, PhD, ADAC is a small business owner, trainer, consultant, and researcher who specializes in the ADA employment provisions and workplace strategies for ADA compliance. She has been part of the ADA National Network since 2002, conducting training, providing technical assistance, managing programs at the regional and national levels, and developing publications and materials. She presents annually at the National ADA Symposium and is a speaker/trainer for the ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program. She formally joined the Great Plains ADA Center team in 2021 as an ADA consultant and manages the Center’s social media. Dr. Burke also has a lifelong exposure to residential and commercial construction. Since 2015, she has supported her family’s commercial construction company, Brazos Builders, Inc. as a project manager, accessibility consultant, safety officer, and HR compliance consultant. Her work includes construction estimating, budgeting, plan review, safety management, contract management, proposal
Voronica Bonoparte
Senior Business Specialist
Voronica received her Business Administration degree from Columbia College. She has had a 33-year-long career with the University of Missouri and joined the GP ADA Center in November 2023. Her main duties consist of business and fiscal management, including budget development, financial transactions and reconciliation, procurement, PCI compliance and consulting agreements. She also assists in the planning and implementation of the National ADA Symposim, ADA Coordinator, and regional conferences. She collaborates closely with the Director in grant management and preparation of project reports. Voronica also works closely with the Portfolio Manager and the University of Missouri to ensure compliance with university policies and procedures.
Mackenzie Brandow
Program Support Specialist
MacKenzie has worked for Great Plains ADA since February 2022. She works primarily on ACTCP activities and projects, handling day-to-day operations in the ACTCP such as monitoring exams, assisting members with credits, and as the lead correspondent assisting and guiding ACTCP participants through the program. She got her Associates of Arts in 2022 and is going to graduate with her Bachelors in English Literature and minor in Psychology in 2025. She is currently attending Columbia College online full time.
Molly Wuebker
Iowa ADA Liaison
Molly Wuebker, OTD, OTR/L, founder and owner of Uncurbed, works as a consultant to the Great Plains ADA Center in her role as the Iowa ADA Liaison. Since receiving her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in December of 2010, Molly has worked in a variety of settings across the lifespan, all while taking a special interest in accessibility. Early on in her career, Molly used her occupational therapy lens to consult as a design advisor and a source to other diverse perspectives on various design projects. Today, Molly’s cross-disciplinary collaborations include working with industrial designers, architectural engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, user experience designers, and community organizations with the goal of improving access to and participation in meaningful, human experiences. In addition to her clinical and service work, Molly served as an assistant professor at Drake University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program for six years. During this time, she delivered content on a range of accessibility topics including the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0/2.1, human factors, universal design, aging-in-place, social justice, co-design and diverse user research, assistive technologies, and community mobility. In order to further her education and professional development as a design advisor, she is currently seeking a certificate as a user experience designer through CareerFoundry.