CAC Members
Members of the NDCPD Consumer Advisory Council represent a wide range of interests and needs in the disability community.
Deanna Bakken
Deanna resides in Fargo and volunteers on the board as the secretary at Red River Human Services and as a council member with the Merit Care Family Patient Advisory Council. She enjoys doing advocacy work and is interested in transportation and housing issues for people with disabilities. She likes to shop and go to the movies.
Jane Haerter
Jane is a member of the ND State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Jane is
a Guardian ad Lidem (G.A.L.) from the Fargo area. She works with abused and
neglected kids as a G.A.L. Jane graduated from San Diego State University with
a degree in Social Services. Jane has three college age children. Her hobbies
and interests are going to her twin’s sports games (soccer for Gerrit
at Jamestown College and basketball for JoJo and U of M, Crookston).
She
also enjoys reading, walks with her dog Simba and trying new restaurants.
Pam Mack
Pam
is a 1991 graduate of the University of Mary with a degree in Social Work.
She is currently the Advocacy Director with the ND Protections and
Advocacy (P&A) Project. Prior to her work at ND P&A, she was a Program Director
for a Developmental Disabilities provider. Pam’s previous experience
is in hospital and nursing home social work. Pam and her husband, DeWitt,
live in Mandan with their three children. In her spare time she loves
to read, attend her children’s sporting events, and spend time with family
and friends.
Jane Nelson
Jane and her husband have four children. Her young adult son has developmental disabilities with a diagnosis of Cornelia deLange Syndrome. She is a social worker who is employed as the Experienced Parent Project Coordinator. She is also involved in several local, state and regional projects related to disability issues.
Norma Nichols
Norma was born in upstate New York on a dairy farm. She went to college for
recreation education at Orange County Community College and then transferred
to Cortland State College and received a Bachelor’s degree in recreation.
She began working for HIT INC in 1986 where she started her career of working
with people with disabilities. Norma was the supervisor of a group home
for three years then moved to the individualized supported living arrangement
(ISLA) position of the program. She worked for HIT until May of 2006. For a
short time Norma owned her own business called Nan’s Parlor a soft
ice cream and coffee shop. Later she worked for Community Options working the
supportive home care contract she had started years earlier. She has worked
for Community Options for several years now and has started working with many
different families in the area. Norma enjoys this work very much. Her
hobbies include woodworking, and she has made furniture and crafts. She does
canning of chairs, (which means putting seats in with the rattan) and has finished
more furniture than she cares to count. Norma bought a house in Bismarck in
2001 and has done most of her own work in fixing it up. Norma has been a member
of the CAC since October 2006.
Deborah Unruh
Deborah and her husband have four children, and live on a small farm just outside of Dickinson. Deb’s husband and two of their children each have different disabilities, which were all diagnosed within one year of each other. This sparked her interest in, and involvement with, several different organizations, including the PLAY Project in Dickinson, Family Voices of North Dakota, and a support group for parents of children with special needs. Deb enjoys spending time with her family outdoors, working with the animals on their farm, cooking, and reading in her spare time.
Gloria Chavez
Gloria Chavez was born in San Antonio Texas and resided in Sacramento California for 12 years before moving to Minot where she currently lives. For a time she worked with American Red Cross of North Dakota and enjoyed the opportunity she had at that time of helping others in need. She currently works for Minot Housing Authority.
Gloria is fluent in Spanish and is very active in her church which includes going on mission trips for her church. She continues to volunteer for the American Red Cross and the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP).
Sherris Richards
Sherris Richards has been a member of the CAC since September of 2009. She is married and the mother of two beautiful girls.
Sherris is a business-entrepreneur who loves working with children and families living with Autism. She currently serves as a consultant to families and their children on the Autism Spectrum.
Sherris has taught classes at the Community College of Beaver County and has worked in the financial industry for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Phoenix and a Certificate in Autism from Penn State University.
Carla Tice
Carla Tice has been a member of the CAC since July of 2009. She is the Project Director of the Self-Advocacy Solutions ND Project based in Grand Forks, N.D. and is a Mom to five kids.
Carla loves shopping at thrift stores, garage sales and the 75% off clearance racks. She loves traveling, meeting people, taking pictures of family, friends, creating memories, and doing things that assist in making a “fair” playing field for all people.
Carla has worked in the human services field for the past 30 years. Since 1991, she has been an ally to Self-Advocates and has seen first-hand, the difference this movement makes in a person’s life. She believes that knowing your rights helps fight discrimination. She believes we all have gifts to offer in this world, gifts that need to be appreciated, respected and accepted without limitation or conditions.
Marilyn Nelson