Khadija Bari Elected as new Board Chair, with two new additions to the Board of Directors
Khadija Bari speaks at the 2024 Disability Impact Awards
The diverse, disability-led nonprofit Disability Belongs™ (formerly RespectAbility) is focused on systemic change, including changing perceptions and attitudes towards people with disabilities, so they can fully participate in all aspects of community. The recent name change reflects the evolution of the organization’s brand, and with it, the organization also welcomes new board leadership.
Disability Belongs™ is proud to announce that Khadija Bari (she/her) has been elected as the sixth Chair of the organization’s Board of Directors. “I am thrilled to lead the Board of Disability Belongs™, as we begin this new chapter in the organization’s bright future,” said Khadija Bari. “It is a much-welcomed change as we continue and grow in our work of redefining narratives, developing leaders, and driving opportunity for the disability community across the nation. I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of Disability Belongs™’ past Chairs that have made their mark and continue to pave the way in strengthening the rights of people with disabilities around the world. The expertise of the Board of Directors and Advisors is invaluable to me, and I look forward to supporting President and CEO Ariel Simms as we turn the page and usher in a new era for Disability Belongs™.”
Khadija Bari initially joined Disability Belongs™ as a part of the organization’s Training and Consulting Bureau, before joining the Board in July 2022. Prior to being elected Chair, Bari served as the Treasurer for two years. Bari is currently the Director of Job Placement Services in the Workforce Development department at VISIONS/Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired. VISIONS is a nonprofit rehabilitation and social service organization whose purpose is to develop and implement programs to assist people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired to lead independent and active lives in their homes and communities. Bari has a passion for discovering and promoting talent to develop an open and inclusive environment within organizations. In her current role, she co-leads New York State’s largest Workforce Development team serving the legally blind population across the State in helping them develop professionally and obtain internships and employment relevant to their education, skills, and interests. On the business development side of her role, she promotes the VISIONS’ brand and values by connecting with new employers and maintaining strong relationships with existing HR business partners, educating them about the significance of diversity and inclusion in the workforce, and ways to accommodate their employees with disabilities. Simultaneously, she researches and partners with organizations that work with and engage diversity and inclusion experts, at a national and local level, to help them hire the most capable and diversified pools of jobseekers.
Bianca Casanova Anderson (she/her), a Director of Disability Belongs™, is now the organization’s Treasurer, and Karen Horne (she/her), another Director, has joined the Board’s Executive Committee at large. Bianca is an educator, nonprofit leader, and social justice practitioner, with expertise in interpersonal communication, racial equity facilitation, and human development. As an educator for almost a decade, Ms. Anderson found her passion for human-centered change in the classroom. She built a unique background by cultivating inclusive learning environments that center relationships, uplift marginalized voices, and disrupt racism. As the founding Director for the Dallas-Fort Worth site of the Center for Racial Justice in Education, she trained and advised over 3,000 community leaders and educators around the nation in effective racial equity policies, practices, and procedures.
Karen Horne is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience within the entertainment industry. She has been recognized as a Diversity and Inclusion pioneer and pipeline builder. Karen most recently worked at Warner Media where she was Senior Vice President of Equity & Inclusion. She led the domestic and international creative talent development pipeline programs and initiatives across the enterprise’s many brands, including HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros film and television, the Turner Networks, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, CNN, DC Comics and Warner Media’s gaming divisions.
Former Advisory Council members Tamala Scott (she/her) and Toby G. Wong (she/her) were elected to the Board of Directors. Tamala Patrice Scott brings more than 17 years of development and fundraising experience across a variety of non-profit organizations. Over the course of Tamala’s career, she has led fundraising efforts to raise millions of dollars for non-profit organizations such as the United Negro College Fund, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The Arc of the US and Childhelp, Inc., just to name a few. Tamala’s years of development experience include working with corporate and family foundations, corporations, major donors, board members, sponsors and managing special events.
Toby G. Wong is an accomplished global consumer marketer and sports executive who broke gender and race barriers over 25 years in Fortune 100 corporations, sports, and new businesses. She is a late-deafened leader and Board Director with passion for creating inclusion, and equal pay for young women and individuals with disabilities. Wong’s global experience includes progressive marketing roles to the C-suite, VP and director levels at Team USA, Axient Communications, Nike, and the Coca-Cola Company (Global, USA, Canada). As Team USA’s first female and first Asian Chief Marketing Officer to build Team USA’s brand and business, Toby broke a 108-year barrier as its highest-ranking female staff executive at the world’s largest National Olympic Committee. Toby is also named as a qualified Board Director candidate in the “A Seat at the Table” social change program to increase disability representation on corporate boards.
“I am grateful to our past lay leaders for their dedicated commitment and service, including Immediate Past Chair Linda Burger, who will be continuing to serve on the organization’s Executive Committee,” said Ariel Simms (they/them), President and CEO of Disability Belongs™. “As we enter our new era as Disability Belongs™, I am inspired by the expertise and passion new leadership will bring. I look forward to working with Khadija and the entire Board in our efforts to redefine narratives, develop leaders, and drive opportunity for disabled people in all aspects of community.”
