Board of Directors

DRNC’s Board of Directors is a diverse group of individuals who are passionate about the rights of people with disabilities. All or most of our board members are disabled or have a family member with a disability. The DRNC Board of Directors seeks to reflect the ethnic, racial, geographic, socioeconomic and disability diversity of North Carolina.

Selection of board members is based on current diversity and skills needed, as well as knowledge, connection and commitment to advancing the human and legal rights of people with disabilities.

Apply to serve on our board.

DRNC Board Members

(Eastern Region)

Juvencio Rocha-Peralta, Jr., a native of Veracruz, Mexico, has lived in North Carolina since 1980 and has been a community leader and advocate for the past 35 years. Juvencio is the founder and, since 2001, executive director of the Associ…

(Western Region)

Kenneth Schorr joined the DRNC board of directors in June 2022. He served as Executive Director of the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy from 1988 to his retirement in April 2022. He practiced previously in Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 repr…

(Central Region)

Ellysa Smith joined the DRNC board in December 2022. She resides in the Angier area and works at CuraHuman which offers human resources support for underserved communities including small business owners, nonprofit professionals, hum…

Treasurer (Western Region)

Cheryl is a Registered Nurse with a master’s degree in nonprofit organizational management. She lives with her husband, Dick, in Waynesville, in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. Most recently, Cheryl was VP of Quality Management for East…

(Western Region)

Sheila joined our board in March of 2019. Her education includes a Bachelor’s of Science, with a Biology major and Chemistry minor, from Johnson C. Smith University; a NC Teacher Certification from UNC-Charlotte; an Associate’s Degree i…

(Eastern Region)

Crystal joined the board in December 2023, and currently works at UNC Health Human Resources.  She has served on the board as chair elect of the UNC Health Diverse Abilities Employee Resource Group as well as serving on the Continuing Educa…

(Western Region)

Sabrina Willis is a nurse entrepreneur whose passion for quality and patient safety drives her to be a change agent and transformational leader. Her multifaceted career has provided a solid foundation in which she consults, educates, ad…

Newsletter

Sign up to receive news and updates.

Get Involved

Check out our current campaigns.

Questions Or Comments?

How to reach our staff.