Speakers

Justice Shorter is a Disability Justice advocate and Black Disabled Lives Matter amplifier. She is a national expert on disability inclusive disaster protections, emergency management and humanitarian crises/conflicts.

While earning her MA in Sustainable Development: International Policy & Management, Justice authored three separate inclusion guides for the U.S. State Department and produced multiple people-centered projects via internships with The Hunger Project, World Learning and Women Enabled International. Justice also interned within the White House Office of Public Engagement & Intergovernmental Affairs where she focused on disability outreach efforts, social inclusion policies and federal agency engagement.

In more recent years, Justice served as a Disability Integration Advisor with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, deploying frequently to disaster areas across America and its territories. She is also the co-creator of a celebrated framework for applying Disability Justice approaches to disaster assistance, an Emergency Management method that acknowledges histories of harm, centers intersectionality and prioritizes leadership by Black, Indigenous & People Of Color with disabilities. With a steadfast commitment to international development and inclusive humanitarian assistance, Justice continues to participate in ongoing projects as a global advisor and trainer.

Justice is currently the National Disaster Protection Advisor for the National Disability Rights Network where she advises the 57 federally mandated Protection & Advocacy agencies on any issues related to pandemics, fires, disasters and other emergencies.

Marissa Bechstein is a Transportation Planner with the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG). Her primary planning areas are long range planning, public transportation planning, and assisting with the Specialized Transportation 5310 program.

Marissa has a Masters in Public Administration and has been participating in regional planning over the last four years. During her career, she has worked with numerous community stakeholders and local governments identifying local and regional future needs and working on a variety of different tasks.