Our Board

  • Vice-Chair

    Keri Gray is a dynamic entrepreneur, facilitator, cancer survivor, and a passionate advocate for racial and disability justice. As the CEO of Ignite by Keri Gray, she is dedicated to fostering professional communities that are intentional and equitable, with a strong focus on education on racial and disability justice. Keri’s work has garnered attention from major publications and media outlets such as Teen Vogue, the New York Times, People Magazine, Time Magazine, PBS NewsHour, Madamenoire, and the Diet Coke campaign #Unlabeled.

  • Board Member

    From 2011 to 2021, Pedro began his university adventure in the area of ​​Health Education and Public Health. He graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in 2014 with an Associate of Science degree in General Studies. Shortly after, in 2015, Pedro attended the University of the District of Columbia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in public health/health education. In 2018, Pedro began another adventure in the academic field. Now, at George Mason University she enrolled for a Master's Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health. Pedro obtained his MPH in Global Health in May 2022.

    In 2014, Pedro began working at Sports Network and Fitness (SNF), a sports facility located in Manassas, Virginia in the United States. In 2015, Pedro became the assistant manager of the sports facility and in 2016, he became the operations manager.

    Since 2016 as operations manager of Sports Network and Fitness, Pedro developed and renewed the quality of sports performance of clients and athletes. Pedro also improved the quality of sales, atmosphere, and customer comfort in the sports area. Under his leadership, Sports Network and Fitness showed a constant increase in revenue each year. In 2020, Pedro began working at JMZ Construction, a construction company with more than 10 years of experience in the cement area in commercial and residential areas. Pedro works as an executive assistant.

    In 2021, Pedro founded Académie Sportif, a sports academy with the focus of showing and educating the children's community in the area of ​​soccer through various programs.

    In 2022, Pedro began working for Second Story, a nonprofit organization located in the area of Bailey’s Crossroads. Pedro is currently the Strategy Director at Second Story, running the Opportunity Neighborhoods program, an initiative from Fairfax County.

    Other endeavors that Pedro has under his profile are Villela Deigns and Vista Migrante. Villela Designs is an association that buys, fixes, and resales properties in Mexico. Vista Migrante is a Podcast that talks about issues in the migrant community and how overcome the barriers that these individuals face.

  • Board Chair

    Susan has dedicated her career as a social worker to the equity and inclusion of people with disabilities, including those from intersectional groups. Her career has included many senior level positions, including staffing a federal  assistant secretary, being. a Commissioner twice over for the City of Alexandria: first as a vice-chair of the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities, and secondly, on the Alexandria Commission for Employment. Her knowledge of independent living is extensive, having served on two independent living center boards, worked several different positions as staff and management of independent living centers and been a project officer of three regions of the federal independent living program. Her knowledge of benefits is extensive, and she is certified in Work Incentive. Ms. Picerno believes that independent living works best when all boats rise equally on the tide of progres and self-actualization.

  • Secretary

    Vannice Evans provides administrative support to both the Program and Development teams at ACT for Alexandria, helping to amplify the work of the Alexandria community by bringing people and resources together. She is currently a Master's of Public Policy and Administration candidate at Northwestern University. Vannice graduated from American University with a B.A. in Justice, Law, and Criminology, along with becoming a dedicated member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. With a brother diagnosed with autism and a father living with bipolar disorder, Vannice has a deep, personal understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and mental health conditions. These experiences have fueled her passion for advocating for disability justice and mental health awareness. Vannice works tirelessly to promote inclusive policies and support systems that ensure equal opportunities and improve the quality of life for those with disabilities. Her advocacy efforts extend to raising public awareness, fostering community support, and working with organizations dedicated to these causes, including ECNV, whose mission is to empower people with disabilities to live independently.

  • Board Treasurer

    Heidi Bacote is a Strategic Technology Program Leader with 17+ years of experience delivering multimillion-dollartechnology and data programs across public health and complex enterprise environments. Professionally groomed inbanking and financial services, she brings a strong foundation in financial stewardship, risk management, and operationaldiscipline to her current role at a leading defense contractor, where she oversees large-scale programs supporting nationalpublic health systems.

    As Treasurer, Heidi combines financial rigor with a mission-driven approach to board service. Her work advancing publichealth for broad populations has deepened her awareness of systemic gaps and strengthened her compassion for disabledindividuals and other underserved communities, shaping her commitment to inclusive, equitable solutions.

    Outside of work, Heidi enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures, whether through local cuisine, art, or everydaymoments that make each place unique. She is also an avid Pilates practitioner, a routine that helps her stay grounded andreinforces her belief in maintaining both physical well-being and balance in everyday life.

  • Board Member

    Beatrice is a Policy Advisor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U. S. Department Of Labor. She has extensiveexperience working as a reasonable accommodation coordinator as well as providing technical assistance and guidance onthe ADA to local, state and federal government officials. Beatrice worked at the National Business and Disability Council atthe Viscardi Center playing a key role in growing the agency’s partnerships with Fortune 500 companies while also workingwith employers to assist them in developing Inclusive employee assistance programs.As a native New Yorker Beatrice worked as a Disability Integration Advisor for FEMA during the Hurricane Sandy recoveryefforts providing inclusive emergency management guidance to survivors with disabilities.In April 2009 Beatrice was appointed by then, Governor Patterson to the New York State Developmental Disabilities planningCouncil and served on the Committee for children and families until May 2015 implementing systems change includingdesigning language access platforms for non-native English speakers.Beatrice is a licensed social worker who holds master of social work from Fordham University and a bachelor of arts fromHofstra University.