Our Presenters

Alvin Law, CSP, HoF

International Keynote Speaker, Musician, Actor, Author

Alvin Law is an international keynote speaker, 2-time Hall of Fame recipient, Emmy Award winner, and best-selling author.

In his 40-plus years of speaking, Alvin has spoken to more than 2 million people across 5 continents. He’s been inducted into the Canadian Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. What’s more, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers recognized Alvin for his role in raising over $225 million for assorted charities throughout his career.

At the 21st annual SPADD Conference, Alvin will share his story of growing up without arms and how he has persevered in the face of relentless challenges. He will invite you to see beyond what’s “missing” and discover the possibilities that are within your reach.

Ashleigh Caseman

Alex Fontana

Wynn Godbold

  • Director, Office of Medicaid Coordination and Health Systems Innovation, Georgia DBHDD

    In her role at DBHDD, Ashleigh oversees enterprise-wide management of Medicaid resources within the Department, including behavioral health. Prior to this appointment Ms. Caseman served as the Deputy Director for her current division, and before that, as Director of Waiver Services in the Division of Developmental Disabilities of DBHDD. Her background is in social services administration, policy, and compliance. Ashleigh has managed the I/DD NOW and COMP waiver applications and waiver programs policy for the Division of Developmental Disabilities since 2018.

    Ashleigh has served as a both a policy writer and state appointed Human Rights Advocate for Arizona’s State Medicaid Authority- Arizona Health Care Containment System-prior to relocating to Georgia in 2016. Prior to state government, Ashleigh was a Behavioral Health Consultant for a provider agency. Ashleigh received a Master of Social Work degree from Millersville University graduating Summa Cum Laude with a focus on Macro Public Healthcare Systems.

  • CEO, Star Choices, Inc.

    Robert Chandler is the CEO of Star Choices, Inc., a non-profit organization supporting approximately 85 individuals experiencing intellectual disabilities and/or mental illness across Macon/Bibb, Stephens/Habersham, and Hall Counties in Georgia. He also currently works to administer the Georgia DSP Council. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Valdosta State University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Georgia.

  • Medicaid Program Manager, Office of Medicaid Coordination and Health Systems Innovation with DBHDD

    Alex Fontana is the Medicaid Program Manager for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. He manages Medicaid products and systems coordination efforts agency-wide. Alex joined the Department in late 2024 after spending eleven years in a variety of capacities with the Tennessee Medicaid Agency (TennCare). At TennCare, he helped to draft the Tennessee  Medicaid Eligibility Policy Manual, implemented federal and state audits of eligibility outcomes, and guided systems design and testing for Tennessee’s modernized eligibility system. Prior to TennCare, he served the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission as a budget language drafter and constituent services analyst.

  • Trainer, Coach & Author, Bee Sharp Professional Training

    Wynn Godbold is an expert in helping clients transform impossible dreams into I'm Possible Lives. She is the founder of Bee Sharp, an independent Certified John Maxwell Leadership Training, Speaking, and Coaching Company committed to enhancing others’ lives through professional development and personal growth.

    Wynn is an author and independent certified John Maxwell Leadership trainer, speaker and thinking partner. Her unique mix of warm southern charm and kick-butt honesty motivates audiences to overcome obstacles, implement new ideas, improve practices, and rise to the next level.

Patrick Lane

Dana Lloyd

W. Jonathan Martin, II

  • Education Manager, TechFirst SHIFT

    Patrick is the Education Manager with SHIFT. With 19 years of human services experience, Patrick brings a wealth of knowledge working with adults who have neurodiverse support needs and a passion for developing the professionals that serve them. As a subject-matter expert in Person-Centered practices, he often presents at conferences and advises organizational leaders. In a Person-Centered context, he believes enabling technology offers a generational opportunity for those receiving services to have more control over lives they have chosen for themselves. Patrick is a mentor with The Learning Community for Person-Centered Practices and holds a graduate degree from Mercer University.

  • Program Director, The Georgia Advocacy Office

    Dana Lloyd has been engaged in advocacy with people experiencing injustice on both a personal and professional level for over two decades.

    She currently serves as program director for the Georgia Advocacy Office and leads Georgia’s supported decision-making. Dana also serves as a state team lead for the Center on Youth Voice Youth Choice, a national youth led Supported Decision-Making Project.

  • Partner, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

    Jonathan serves as Managing Partner of the Macon office of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete. He focuses his practice in employment discrimination litigation for management, defending corporations in lawsuits arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as related state laws. Mr. Martin also represents management in traditional labor law issues under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and in wage & hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

    Prior to being in private practice, Jonathan, who is also a Colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard, served as a military lawyer in the Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps. While in the Air Force, Jonathan held an appointment as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, representing the United States in United States Magistrate Court for the Middle District of Georgia.

  • Government Liaison, SPADD

    Julianna McConnell is the President/CEO of The Preston Group, Inc., a government relations firm with primary focus on advocacy services in the areas of healthcare, sex trafficking, mental health, and developmental disabilities. She has been a Georgia registered lobbyist for over 25 years.

    Julianna is Vice Chair of the Georgia Commission on Women and serves on the Statewide CJCC Human Trafficking Task Force. She has a BBA degree in Accounting/Finance and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of West Georgia and is a CPA.   She was a graduate of the Leadership Gwinnett Class of 2013.

  • Government Affairs Liaison, SPADD

    Cindy Shepherd is a government relations and public affairs professional contract lobbyist with over twenty-seven years of experience in two of the three branches of Georgia state government. Most notably, she worked on the staff of former Governor Zell Miller. Cindy possesses extensive contacts with both Georgia federal and state government officials, giving her clients a greater range of access to key policy makers. She assists clients on legislative, regulatory and budget issues in the areas of healthcare, pharmaceuticals and taxation. One of Cindy’s greatest strengths is an expert knowledge of the budget process and strategic relationships with key influencers and policy makers tied to this process.

  • Director of the Center for Leadership in Disability and Research Associate Professor, Georgia State University

    Erin Vinoski Thomas, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Leadership in Disability and is also a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. Dr. Vinoski Thomas’s research focuses on disability health disparities, emphasizing identifying and promoting holistic health behaviors, particularly among women and girls with disabilities.

    Before earning her Ph.D., Dr. Vinoski Thomas served as a Disability and Health Fellow with the National Association of County and City Health Officials; in this role, she supported a national program providing technical assistance to local health departments across the US to increase their inclusion of people with disabilities in their policies, programs, and services.

Julianna McConnell

Cindy Shepherd

Erin Vinoski Thomas, PhD, MPH