National Council on Disability welcomes new congressional appointee, Jim Baldwin

We are so excited to share the news that one of our very own was appointed to National Council on Disability (NCD)! Congratulations to Jim Baldwin, President and CEO of Bakersfield Arc, for being appointed to serve on NCD. The NCD is leads policy discussions at the national level that impact the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Jim is an amazing advocate and will be an incredible addition to the NCD as he continues to advocate for people with I/DD and their families at the national level.

National Council on Disability welcomes new congressional appointee, Jim Baldwin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 8, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Council on Disability (NCD) – an independent federal agency that advises the President, Congress and other federal agencies regarding disability policy matters – welcomes the appointment of Jim Baldwin, of Bakersfield, California, to the Council.
Baldwin’s appointment to NCD by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was published in the Congressional Record on July 19. 2019.

He joins Council Chairman Neil Romano, Vice Chairman Benro Ogunyipe, and members Billy Altom, Rabia Belt, Jim Brett, Andrés Gallegos, Wendy S. Harbour, and Clyde Terry.

Appointments to NCD are made by the President of the United States, the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader pursuant to section 451 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Pub. L. 113–128).

Biography: Jim Baldwin is the President and CEO of the Bakersfield ARC (BARC). He was appointed President of BARC in September 2001 after serving on BARC’s Board of Directors for more than eight years. He also serves as President and Current Director of the Kern County Board of Trade, and he is a Director on the Golden Empire Transit Board. Jim received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma State University.

About the National Council on Disability (NCD): First established as a small advisory Council within the Department of Education in 1978, NCD became an independent federal agency in 1984. In 1986, NCD recommended enactment of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and drafted the first version of the bill which was introduced in the House and Senate in 1988. Since the ADA became law in 1990, NCD has continued to play a leading role in crafting policy solutions, and in advising the President, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policies, programs, and practices.