Description
Celebrate the
intersectionality of Black professionals with disabilities by building
understanding around intersections of race and disability and the impact at
work. Attend in person or virtually.
Contributors
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Sherman Gillums Jr., FEMA Office of the Administrator Director, Office of Disability Integration and Coordination
Sherman Gillums Jr., a native of Buffalo, New York, serves as the Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination for the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington DC.
He previously led strategy, operations, and impact for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where he focused the organization’s efforts to universalize timely access to mental healthcare and destigmatize mental illness. He is also the former executive director of Paralyzed Veterans of America and chief strategy and advocacy officer for AMVETS, two of the nation’s largest congressionally chartered veteran service organizations.
Sherman has testified before Congress as an expert witness and appeared on national networks, such as CNN, Fox News, and C-SPAN, as one of the most influential voices on military and veteran issues. His expert commentary has regularly appeared in the Hill, Military Times, and other national publications.
He was recognized by HillVets as among the 100 most influential voices on Capitol Hill in 2016, the same year his alma mater, University of San Diego, inducted him into its hall of honor. He was also personally recognized by The White House for noteworthy “service to our nation” and the Secretary of Veteran Affairs for “exceptional leadership.”
He joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17 and served for 12 years, medically retiring at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 2. He holds a graduate degree from the University of San Diego School of Business and completed his executive education at Harvard Business School. He will complete his doctoral studies at the University of Dayton in 2024.
Sherman and his wife Tammie, herself a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, have two sons, four daughters, including one who is presently a Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, and a granddaughter.