David is an eager advocate for people with intellectual disabilities at the local, national and international levels. He has always dreamed big. When he was eight, starting out as a Special Olympics swimmer, he dreamed of winning his races. As he grew, he looked to bigger goals -having a job and finding ways to advocate and change attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities. He is living his dream and inspiring others to live theirs. David is a J.P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow, first person with intellectual disability to be selected in this position and he served for one year working with the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee on Capitol Hill and then with the National Down Syndrome Society in Washington DC. He is also a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger. Over the years, he has been active on several Disability Boards and in leadership roles. He currently serves as a Board Member on the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia (DSANV), and the Arc of Northern Virginia. He speaks at various events raising awareness and engaging supporters in their involvement to promoting the values of inclusion, dignity, and respect. He testified about employment to the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. David has also received numerous awards for his contributions and accomplishments over the years. David is currently a Community Relations Specialist at SourceAmerica in Government Affairs. He previously worked at CBRE and at Booz Allen and Hamilton at the McLean Campus as a clerk in the Distribution Center. He is a trail blazer with 20 years of competitive employment. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin on September 17th, 1977 and is the oldest of four. He moved to Virginia in 1984 and resides in Vienna. Learn more about David Egan at: www.davideganadvocacy.com

Academic background consists of a Bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University with a double major in Speech Communication and English Language & Literature; a Master's degree from Eastern Michigan University in Communication; a Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University in Communication Studies. I use my academic background as a foundation for my advocacy work. Achievements: * I am currently a member of the board of the Family Advisory Council of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. We work to ensure that families who utilize the hospital's DDBP services for their children (with a variety of special needs and medical conditions) have positive experiences. We also seek to improve community experiences for the families. * I am currently one of the leaders of the African American Family Network of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. We work to support our local families and focus on community outreach. We facilitate workshops that are generalized to the Ds community, as well as workshops specific to the African American community. We also hold monthly support/informational dinner meetings. * I was recently asked to be a part of the Advisory Council for the Cincinnati Zoo, and we will work to make sure the zoo is accessible to individuals with special needs. * I have presented at the national Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action conference in 2013 and 2017 with my co-presenter, Valda Freeman-Karmo. We present on the need to engage communities of color. We are also working on presentations to help others begin cultural-specific groups in their communities to meet the unique challenges of minoritized group members. * I began the "birth year" groups at the DSAGC. In 2011 I started the 2011 (Extra)Ordinary Friends group, which consists of families in the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area who have children with Down syndrome born in 2011. We have over 35 families in our group. The DSAGC asked that this model be replicated and Birth Year Groups are now a part of their community group offerings, with families in 2011-2018. * I have presented a number of lectures. I gave a lecture to undergraduate students studying speech pathology at the University of Cincinnati. The lecture was specific to Down syndrome, common speech and language difficulties and the role of speech therapists. At my institution, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, I give a guest lecture every year to students in the Early Childhood Education program, about Down syndrome and the role of early intervention and childcare providers. A local high school, Princeton High School, asked me to come in to present a 2 day workshop to students in their Life Skills class about how to deliver an effective public speech. This workshop prepared them for their end-of-year presentation to their school, families and friends. I also presented a workshop on effective public speaking to self-advocates at the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. * Last year I served on a panel at Princeton High School's Special Needs Education Night. I discussed the need to utilize active listening skills during IEP meetings, and presented strategies that can be used to have a more effective working relationship with the school team.

Parenting & Teaching Consultant

Adrian N. Havelock is the Author of 'You Can Do This - How to Succeed in Sales and In Life' He is a Master Trainer with over 10 years in Sales and Customer Experience. His passion for excellence, and educating people on the benefits of products and how it is valuable to them, took him into Training and Development where he works closely with people and show them how the human mind operates when communicating. This desire then turned into the direction of Business Consulting where he believes that transforming one company at a time can make a difference in building valuable people. He is a Business Consultant for Training, Branding and Marketing, and is the Regional Instructor for BMW in product and Technology with KAPTA (Bogota, Colombia). Adrian is also the Creative Executive producer, for a Television series dedicated to overall wellness, health and fitness, and self-defence teachings. Adrian has an extensive range of experience in various industries such as; Finance, Energy/ Oil and Gas, Labels, Packaging and Branding, Out of Home Advertising media, Electronics, Gambling, Fast Food Restaurants, Business Publications, Automotive and Retail. This experience in working with people is why he is the go-to expert in his field.