National Council Of
Disability Determination Directors
National Officers
President
Jacqueline Russell
North Caronlina DDS
Disability Determination Services
PO Box 243
2802 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27602-0243
919.814.2980
President-Elect
Brian Garber - FL
Secretary
Krysti Michl - NE
Treasurer
Frank Gilbertson - MN
Past President
Leon Scales - VA
Regional Representatives
Region I (Boston)
Jack McCormack, VT
Region II (New York)
Donnovan Beckford NY
Region III (Philadelphia)
Theora Lowe-Staton, DE
Region IV (Atlanta)
Anne Mayo, SC
Region V (Chicago)
Kimberlyn Price, OH
Region VI (Dallas)
Arthur Boutiette, AR
Region VII (Kansas City)
Joshanna Stone, KS
Region VIII (Denver)
Heather Flowers, UT
Region IX (San Francisco)
Vikki Nakamura, HI
Region X (Seattle)
William Hernandez, ID
ABOUT US
Mission Statement
The mission of the NCDDD is to provide the highest possible level of service to persons with disabilities, to promote the interests of the state operated Disability Determination Services and to represent DDS Directors, their management teams and staffs.
The NCDDD provides leadership in accomplishing the mission by:
Establishing effective, timely and meaningful dialogue between NCDDD and SSA;
Working cooperatively with the Congress, the Administration, The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), National Council of Social Security Managers Association (NCSSMA), and other organizations interested in protecting the rights of the disabled.
Encouraging the establishment of policies that best serve the public interest in accomplishing the mission of the disability program.
Fostering the highest standards of professionalism.
Our Programs and Administration
DDSs work with SSA in administering two disability programs which have the same medical/vocational criteria for determining eligibility for benefits. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a monthly benefit paid to eligible individuals who cannot work due to a serious physical or mental disability. The SSDI program provides disability benefits to insured individuals who become unable to work because of illness or injury which is expected to last at least 12 continuous months or which may be expected to result in death. Nationwide, over 6.9 million people receive $59.6 billion in yearly disability SSDI payments from SSA trust funds.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs based program that provides coverage for adults and children in households whose income and resources are below a certain level. There is no requirement for prior employment. Applicants for SSI must meet the same definition of disability described above. Eligible children under age 18 are considered disabled if they are unable to function in a manner similar to children of the same age group. There are more than 5.1 million disabled SSI recipients receiving approximately $23.7 billion per year in benefits from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury.
Our Purpose
While promoting the interests of the state DDS’s and providing the highest possible level of service to the disabled, we are also working cooperatively with Congress and professional organizations interested in protecting the rights of the disabled.
As administrators who run the disability programs for SSA on a day-to-day basis, we have the capacity to provide what we believe to be invaluable insights on the effective operation of those programs and their continuing challenges. Given our role in the federal-state partnership, and with concern for the most efficient public service possible, we are constitutionally committed to the following purposes:
To give meaning and effectiveness to the concepts of consultation and partnership between the State Disability Determination Services (DDS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) through establishing effective, timely and meaningful dialogue between the Council and SSA.
To cooperate constructively with SSA to encourage the establishment of policies that best serve the public interest in accomplishing the mission of the disability program.
Charter History
COMING SOON!!!
Our President
Jacqueline Russell is the North Carolina Disability Determination Services (NCDDS) Director. The NCDDS is a division of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The NCDDS division has approximately 600 staff, responsible for accurate and timely medical determinations for Social Security and Medicaid disability applicants.
Jacki shares she is thankful for the opportunity to serve, work with and work for North Carolinians and the NCDDS staff in her role as NCDDS Director for 4+ years. She previously served more than 20 years leading and managing organizational change, strategic planning, program design/improvement, professional development, and utilization of data to support equity in services and advocating for people with disabilities. She started her career in 1993 as a Speech Pathologist, providing services in homes, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and schools. She later worked with the Wake County Public School System in several roles, including Speech Pathologist, Assistive Technology Specialist, Senior Administrator, Director of Policy, and Senior Director of Policy and Fiscal Compliance. Utilizing her experiences as a service provider, educational and organizational leader, fiscal manager, data driven decision maker, and advocate for people with disabilities, has focused on cultivating and strengthening the NC Division of Disability Determination Services.
Jacki has a Master’s in Administration from North Carolina State University, a Master’s in Speech Pathology from North Carolina Central University, and a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University. Jacki has earned recognition for her contributions, including the NC Governor’s Award of Excellence, DHHS Award of Excellence, WCPSS Employee of Excellence, and NCACA Honors of the Association. Jacki is a member of National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE) and President of the National Council of Disability Determination Directors (NCDDD).
Jacki loves living in North Carolina where she resides with her husband Sean and dog Mimi. She enjoys the peace that comes from watching the ocean roll in at the beach, walking trails in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains, cooking family dinners and traveling with her family which includes her son Garrett (24) and daughter Maggie (21). Jacki is active in the community through mentoring and her church. When Jacki is not spending time with family she enjoys reading, learning, and walking the many greenway trails in Raleigh. Jacki encourages anyone considering a move to North Carolina to make it happen, the NCDDS is always looking for strong contributors!
Past Presidents
The President of NCDDD is the principal officer, leading the organization in operations and by representing the members.
It is a four year commitment, as they first serve two years as President-Elect. We have a long tenure of distinguished and talented DDS Administrators who have served in this demanding position. This is our thank you to them for serving us with integrity and effectuating positive change for the disability program and claimants.
Below is a list of our past presidents in reverse order:
Stan Kress, ID
Jerry Thomas, GA
Chuck Jones, MI
Doug Willman, NE
Mike Brennan, DC
Tommy Warren, AL
Linda Dorn, MI
Sheila Everett, MS
Andy Marioni, DE
Kay Hoffpauir, LA
Robbie Watts, VA
Vicki Johnson, CO
Trudy Lyon-Hart, VT
Erik Williamson, OH
Sheri Seil, ND
Liz McLaren, IA
Leon Scales, VA