The Consortium is pleased to announce the hiring of H. Pancho Timmons as its new Project Director, as well as Alonna Carter as Project Scholar for a new effort dedicated to collecting histories of people with disabilities who are people of color.
As Project Director, Timmons brings more than a 15 years’ experience in disability-focused organizations. After earning degrees in Social Work (B.A, Slippery Rock University, 2000) and Rehabilitation Counseling (M.Ed., Penn State University, 2003), he served as a rehabilitation counselor and supervisor for the Pittsburgh Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. In 2017, he founded the Pennsylvania Youth Initiative, a non-profit that promotes self-advocacy, job skills, and inclusion. Within the Western Pennsylvania disability community, Timmons is known for his ability to bring people together for a common goal.
In the role of Project Director, Timmons succeeds Tina Calabro, a founding member of the Consortium, who served as acting director during 2021.
Alonna Carter joins the Consortium as Project Scholar for a new effort dedicated to collecting and sharing history of people with disabilities who are people of color. Major funding for the effort comes from the “Race and Disability” initiative of the FISA Foundation.
Carter will complete a master’s degree in Public History at Duquesne University in 2022. She holds a bachelor’s in Philosophy and Pre-Law from Carlow University and a master’s in Professional Writing from Chatham University. Among her many professional and volunteer accomplishments is her work as historian for the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
Carter’s work for the Consortium will include researching and writing five histories of Western Pennsylvanians with disabilities who are people of color. A Community Advisory Committee will guide the effort.
Welcome to the two newest members of the Consortium’s staff!
