Get in touch.
Get in touch.
Get in touch.
Who we are ...
Executive Director
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Education/Experience:
Hope holds a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Kentucky. She is also a Social Role Valorization (SRV) practitioner. SRV training provides empirical knowledge about how to go about Mattingly Edge's work in ways that increase the chances people with disabilities will experience the good things in life many people take for granted. She also has learned a great deal from her sister-in-law in terms of the practical realities of life with a disability.
Valued Social Roles:
"I am a SRV practitioner and teacher, a member of Unity of Louisville faith community, a hostess, and a grandmother."
Why this work matters to
Hope:
"All my life I have been granted access to the good things in life. That isn't true for everyone. People who are marginalized by society, including people with disabilities, haven't been granted the same privileges. For me, our work is more about justice than about disability. The work matters because it is part of making the world the kind of place I want to live in."
Favorite Book:
Advanced Issues in Social Role Valorization Theory by Wolf Wolfensberger (2012), Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges by C. Otto Scharmer (2016)
"I actually had a difficult time choosing just one book. In the end I was able to whittle the list down to two. Advanced Issues in Social Role Valorization Theory provides the framework we use to provide high quality supports. Theory U provides organizations a roadmap for fundamental change—something the field of intellectual and developmental disability supports desperately needs!"
Education/Experience:
Hope holds a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Kentucky. She is also a Social Role Valorization (SRV) practitioner. SRV training provides empirical knowledge about how to go about Mattingly Edge's work in ways that increase ...
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Office & Media Manager
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Education/Experience:
Brennan began his relationship with Mattingly Edge in 2016 as a graphic design contractor. In 2018, he joined the administrative team at Mattingly Edge, lending his experience in graphic design, technology (including superb Googling skills), word-crafting, and systems improvement. Nothing brings Brennan more joy than finding solutions to pesky problems or finding ways to streamline complicated processes (a well-crafted spreadsheet comes close though!). When he's not working, he's probably coming up with reasons to skip his fitness class at the Y, getting side-eye from a cashier at the grocery store as he heaves a bag of twenty or so apples onto the conveyer belt, or reading a book with his partner.
Valued Social Roles:
"I am a partner, a brother, an uncle, and a maker."
Why this work matters to
Brennan:
"Our society was designed by able-bodied people and where accommodations have been made, they have often been made without input from those they are meant to benefit. The only real way to catalyze social change is to listen to and amplify the voices of those who are marginalized by society. Mattingly Edge is a bullhorn for people who are not content to live their lives confined by the spaces that society has carved out for them, for people who are ready to tear down barriers and build their own spaces in community."
Favorite Book:
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
"This book will always be one of my all-time favorite reads because, at its core, it's a story―written in a way that is both accessible and digestible to a broad age range―about questioning power structures and resisting systemic injustice. Not to mention this installment's villain, a nasty piece of work, is so fun to read (and despise!) for many reasons but none more compelling than the fact she sees herself as a pillar of justice. Oh, the irony!"
Education/Experience:
Brennan began his relationship with Mattingly Edge in 2016 as a graphic design contractor. In 2018, he joined the administrative team at Mattingly Edge, lending his experience in graphic design, technology (including superb Googling skills), word-crafting, and systems...
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Network Facilitator
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Education/Experience:
Becca has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and she has been in the field of disability inclusion for 7 years. She joined the Mattingly team as Home Coordinator Specialist in 2018.
Valued Social Roles:
“I am a daughter, a friend, a member of a Tai Chi Class, & an advocate."
Why this work matters to
Becca
“It’s important that human service providers understand, respect, and support the individuality of the people they serve. In my role, I’m committed to discovering best practices for each individual Mattingly Edge serves, supporting them to enhance their autonomy and build meaningful and fulfilling lives for themselves.”
Favorite Book:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
“Frankenstein is my favorite book because it raises philosophical questions about the genuine nature of life. What does it mean to be human? As humans, what responsibilities do we have to each other? And how far will we go with manipulating the nature of life?”
Education/Experience:
Becca has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and she has been in the field of disability inclusion for 7 years. She joined the Mattingly team as Home Coordinator Specialist in 2018.
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Flex-time Specialist
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Education/Experience:
Carrie has a BA in writing from Johns Hopkins University; M.Div. from Vanderbilt University; one quarter Clinical Pastoral Education from Ann Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD; 14 years as a Presbyterian minister; seven years doing personal assistance and community access with Mattingly Edge. She is currently the Flex-time Specialist, providing backup for other staff with multiple participants.
Valued Social Roles:
“I am a flexible relief staff member, a family member, a friend, and an occasional preacher/worship leader.”
Why this work matters to
Carrie
“I love being the bridge that helps people with disabilities make friends and build relationships out in the world. Often new people will start off being politely friendly out of sympathy, but when we can build relationships over time, they soon learn to value people with disabilities for their own sake and receive the gifts they have to offer.”
Favorite Book:
Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (1988), Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver (1993)
“These novels—two of my favorite reads—are two books that form one story. The characters are deeply real, and the story puts 'skin on' important issues without being preachy.”
Education/Experience:
Carrie has a BA in writing from Johns Hopkins University; M.Div. from Vanderbilt University; one quarter Clinical Pastoral Education from Ann Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD; 14 years as a Presbyterian minister; seven years doing personal ...
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Employment Specialist
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Education/Experience:
Dan has a Bachelor's in Special Education from the University of Louisville. He has also studied a good bit in environmental planning/education. Dan has had several careers including woodworking/cabinetry, public school teacher, mental health counselor, GIS (Computer Mapping) Technical Support and now, an Employment Specialist at Mattingly Edge. Dan has also dabbled semi-professionally in photography, videography, art, and writing.
Valued Social Roles:
“I am a photographer, an environmentalist, a parent, and a church member.”
Why this work matters to
Dan
“Kentucky poet/author/farmer, Wendell Berry says, 'It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.' I believe in the power of a committed community, striving to find solutions that work for the whole community. In a world where it's every person for themselves, we will find only nightmares and disappointment and pain. But, in a community—one that is committed to caring for one another—we will find solutions and joy and companionship and all those things that make life worth living. I'm not naive enough to believe such great outcomes will come easily. For me, the work Mattingly does matters because it is on the only sane and workable path forward and, fortunately, this path is one blessed with beauty and joy. Let's let our impeded streams sing.”
Favorite Book:
A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean
“In Norman MacLean's book, A River Runs Through It, we learn about a family's struggle to save a beloved family member who was struggling through life. We learn that this is no small thing to do and may be impossible, but that we must work through that struggle, nonetheless. The author writes, 'My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things—trout as well as eternal salvation—come by grace: and grace comes by art, and art does not come easy.' The reason I love this book is that, in addition to the poetry of the words, we have these lessons of family and struggle and faithfulness, in spite of the struggle, and those are all good lessons.”
Education/Experience:
Dan has a Bachelor's in Special Education from the University of Louisville. He has also studied a good bit in environmental planning/education. Dan has had several careers including woodworking/cabinetry, public school teacher, mental health counselor, GIS (Computer ...
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Director of Employment Services
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Education/Experience:
The first time Merry-Reid had ever been to Louisville was the day she accepted her job at Mattingly Edge. Two weeks later, she and her cat, Freddie Mercury, officially became Kentuckians! After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in English Literature, she headed to Nashville to earn a Master’s in Divinity from Vanderbilt. Most of her learning took place outside of the classroom, however, organizing with people currently or formerly incarcerated through No Exceptions Prison Collective. When she’s not watching sci-fi dramas or reading Appalachian lit, she’s likely daydreaming of a world free of borders and the prison-industrial complex.
Valued Social Roles:
“I am a daughter, a friend, a runner, and an activist.”
Why this work matters to
Merry-Reid
“My work as an Employment Specialist is important to me because I know from personal experience how hard it can be to find a job that you love. On top of that, job candidates with disabilities are often stigmatized and overlooked. It is a great honor to support talented job candidates as they present their best selves to employers and to witness employers find the team member they’ve been missing.”
Favorite Book:
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
“I chose Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson because the stories he has collected should be required reading for everyone- but most especially white folks. We cannot comprehend our role in perpetuating white supremacy until we see clearly its consequences, namely, the criminalization of blackness, poorness, queerness, and disability. It is my firm belief that systemic injustice will not be changed by learning the facts and figures, but by hearing the stories of real people who have born our communal burden.”
Education/Experience:
The first time Merry-Reid had ever been to Louisville was the day she accepted her job at Mattingly Edge. Two weeks later, she and her cat, Freddie Mercury, officially became Kentuckians! After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in English ...