Emily Voorde: From South Bend to the National Council for the DisabledEmily Voorde: From South Bend to the National Council for the Disabled Emily Voorde, a South Bend native, has recently been appointed vice-president of the National Council for the Disabled (NCD). With an impressive resume including degrees from Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, she has worked in education, consulting, politics, and the White House. Voorde’s appointment recognizes her expertise and passion for disability rights. She brings years of experience in advocating for and working with people with disabilities to the NCD. Chair Claudia Gordon praised her skills and commitment, stating that she has “an abundance of experience, ideas, and energy.” Voorde herself emphasizes the importance of the NCD’s mission. She believes the council has the opportunity to push for crucial updates to disability rights and regulations. She is eager to collaborate with other council members and staff to provide valuable advice to policymakers. Appointments to the NCD are made by top-level government officials, highlighting the significance of Voorde’s selection. Background and Experience Voorde comes from a family involved in politics. Her father is a former city clerk and council member, while her grandfather served as mayor. Her aunts also worked in public service in Washington, D.C. She graduated from Marian High School in 2011 and earned degrees from Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. She interned in the mayor’s office and worked on Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign. Inclusion and Advocacy Voorde has osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition that causes bones to break easily. She is an advocate for inclusion and accessibility, working with companies to ensure that they are inclusive. She believes that inclusion is essential and should be considered from the start. In addition to her work with the NCD, Voorde is the CEO and president of INTO Strategies. She consults with organizations on inclusive practices. Recognition and Praise Voorde’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. She has been featured in articles and interviews, including a piece in The Tribune when she was a young child. She is a formidable advocate, and her wheelchair is merely a means of transportation. Emily Voorde is a daughter of South Bend, a product of its political culture, and now a national voice for disability rights. Her work continues to improve the lives of people with disabilities, both locally and nationwide.
| Columnist
Emily Voorde has an impressive resume. She has two degrees from the University of Notre Dame and one from Vanderbilt University. The wonders of education led to teaching, consulting, politics with Pete Buttigieg, and then to the White House. Yes, that White House. And then back to South Bend.
Now there’s something new for the list. She was recently appointed vice-president of the National Council for the Disabled.
Chair Claudia Gordon said in a press release that Emily is the right person for the job. Emily brings an abundance of experience, ideas and energy to this crucial role. Emily is passionate about NCD’s rich history and important mission, and as an alumna of the Biden-Harris Administration’s White House Office of Public Engagement, where she served as a liaison to Americans with disabilities, she has extensive experience helping NCD help us provide advice to policy makers. .”
Emily, in turn, understands the importance of NCD. “This council has the opportunity to advocate on behalf of disabled Americans for critical, long-recommended updates to disability rights and regulations,” she said. “I feel extremely privileged to serve alongside Chairman Gordon, my fellow council members and the NCD staff.”
Appointments to the NCD are made by the President of the United States, the Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the House Minority Leader.
Back in South Bend, she is the CEO and president of INTO Strategies. She works with companies to be inclusive.
“One in four adults has a disability,” she says. “It’s not always visible. It is physical, psychological, developmental or intellectual. People with disabilities are consumers, donors, voters and volunteers.”
Her goal is to work with organizations to think ahead. “Inclusion is best achieved when it is thought about from the start and not as an afterthought. Having barriers can hinder valuable engagement and investment. There is potential for damage and loss of trust.”
She knows her stuff. Emily has osteogenesis imperfecta, known as brittle bone disease. The genetic condition causes bones to break easily. She was featured in The Tribune as a small child in the early stages of maneuvering through life. Later she played wheelchair basketball and learned to drive a car.
Any conversation with her and the listener knows she is formidable. And her wheelchair is a means of transportation.
Emily is the daughter of Johannes Voorde And Cathy Voorde. She is originally from South Bend and grew up in politics. Her father is John, a retired city clerk and city council member. Her grandfather did Mayor Edward “Babe” Voorde. Two aunts, Frances And Charlotte, served in public service in Washington, DC. She knows about campaigns and polls. “I grew up with Friday night card parties, Dyngus Day and fundraisers.”
The two aunts had a tremendous influence. Frances was Deputy Appointments Secretary for President Jimmy Carter. Aunt Charlotte worked on the Heuvel. “My middle name is Frances. I am named after three Franceses: a great-grandmother, my grandfather Babe and my aunt Fran.” Emily has a tattoo in honor of Aunt Fran. The “F” comes from Fran’s White House ID. ‘People say I remind them of her. Big shoes to fill.”
Emily graduated from Marian High School in 2011. While she was there, Pete Buttigieg spoke to a government class. That was a good introduction. She attended Notre Dame for bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Then there was a master’s degree from Vanderbilt.
She later interned in the mayor’s office and worked on his presidential campaign. Along the way, she was ahead of the “body woman.” Chasten Buttigieg. Her job as tour guide was to make sure the events went smoothly, he was eating and that he was hydrated.
Flying across the country presented challenges for her during the campaign. Her wheelchair was damaged during a flight. That slowed her down until Mom could bring another wheelchair.
The candidate later became the Minister of Transport. He takes inclusion seriously in his role. Inclusion was important in his campaign and in his department, from making airline bathrooms more workable for wheelchair users to changes at bus and train stations and airports to increase compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
After Pete dropped out of the race, she came to South Bend right before COVID. She worked as an associate director at the Sara Bea Center for Students with Disabilities at Notre Dame. Then she got the call to work in Washington. There, she served in the White House Office of Public Engagement as the Biden-Harris administration’s liaison to disabled Americans and K-12 educators. She called it “the front door of the White House and a unique opportunity.”
She was in Washington from May 2021 to August 2022. “It was time to pass the torch. Friends thought I was throwing in the towel.” She said it was a reorientation with a return to the Heartland. “I felt disconnected from the real world.”
She has high praise for public sector employees in all government roles.
Now she is home and close to family and friends. Emily said her work achieving inclusion continues with consulting and telling compelling stories.
Is your work improving? “Inclusion is getting better,” she says. She will ensure that the mission continues.
Kathy’s email address is [email protected].
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