Board Of Directors
Anil Lewis, Chair * Clip art image of two women conversing using sign language.
Mr. Lewis works with the Client Assistance Program, helping people with disabilities address their issues with the Georgia Division of Rehabilitation Services. Mr. Lewis assists DRS consumers in resolving problems through empowerment first, then advocacy. Prior to his current position, he developed a landmark initiative which enabled individuals with disabilities to benefit from the employment services provided by Randstad Staffing, one of the world’s largest staffing services. Mr. Lewis also serves as a board member for Disability Link and Board President for the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia. He is president of the National Federation of the Blind of Georgia and a newly elected member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind. He was recognized by the Center for the Visually Impaired as a STARS Volunteer and Mentor. In 2002, he won the highly coveted Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship. Mr. Lewis received his B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems and a Masters in Public Administration from Georgia State University and is currently working on on his Juris Doctorate.
Patricia Puckett, Secretary-Treasurer *
A leader in the disability community, Ms. Puckett’s vision is largely responsible for the DLPC’s existence. Ms. Puckett is the Executive Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia facilitating the growth and nurturing of the Independent Living network in Georgia. Ms. Puckett has toiled in this area for more than twenty years often the first try to try new approaches. She helped create the Indpendent Care Waiver Program, established numerous information/action networks, designed and delivered many training events, and has used innovative planning to demonstrate what is possible. She serves as a mentor to many people in Georgia and is often sought for her expertise on home and community based services. She is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb. Ms. Puckett received a degree in Sociology from Valdosta State University in 1972.
Susan Jamieson
Ms. Jamieson has more than twenty years of experience representing people who are institutionalized. Having worked for legal services her entire career, Ms. Jamieson has influenced state and national approaches to people with mental disabilities. Ms. Jamieson represented Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, in the Olmstead v. L.C. case which wound its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999. The Supreme Court held that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibited Georgia from keeping Ms. Curtis and Ms. Wilson institutionalized when they could live in the Community with appropriate supports. This landmark decision established that unnecessary segregation of an individual in an institution is a form of segregation under the ADA. Ms. Jamieson is the director of the Mental Health and Disability Unit at Atlanta Legal Aid Society. She received her law degree from Rutgers School of Law in 1974.
Ruby Moore
Ms. Moore is nationally recognized as an advocate for disability rights. She serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Advocacy Office.
Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle *
Ms. Ramage-Tuttle is the Executive Director of DisAbility Link, the Metropolitan Atlanta Center for Independent Living, Inc. located in Decatur, Georgia. She is a respected leader in the Georgia disability community nad has held numerous roles serving as Secretary and Board Member of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, and appointed member of Georgia’s Olmstead Planning Committee. Ms. Ramage-Tuttle received a Masters degree in Rehabilitation from DePaul University in Chicago in 1999.
Debra Joyner, Executive Director *
Debra Joyner has extensive civil rights experience, including eleven years as a federal compliance officer with the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education. She has eighteen years of legal experience and is a trained mediator.
* An asterisk following the person’s name indicates that the board member is a person with a disability or family member of a person with a disability. To ensure that the DLPC’s work remains grounded in what Georgians with disabilities want, the DLPC bylaws require that a majority of the Board of Directors be persons with disabilities or family members of a person with a disability.