Board of Directors
Board Chair: Kristen Milefchik (she/her)
Kristen Milefchik is an Advocate for Disability Rights Michigan, Michigan’s federally mandated independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit Protection & Advocacy organization. She has a master’s degree in social work from Wayne State University. In addition to being Disability Action’s inaugural board Chair, Kristen serves on the Boards of Directors of Michigan United Cerebral Palsy (MI-UCP) and Transportation Riders United (TRU). Having been born with a neuromuscular condition and being a lifelong wheelchair user, she has spent most of her life advocating for equitable access, inclusion, and opportunity for herself and disabled people of all ages and in all areas of life. One of her biggest areas of focus is on transportation, particularly expanding access to affordable, accessible transportation through greater investment in our state’s transit system. Kristen also has a long history of public speaking and education, bringing attention to issues that the disability community faces on a frequent and ongoing basis. Heavily reliant on Medicaid home and community-based services for living autonomously, Kristen spends much of her time helping others learn how to navigate our state’s complex public programs and services for disabled people. To relax, Kristen enjoys spending time with her daughter and her many cats, PC gaming, reading fantasy novels, and building things out of Legos.
Board Secretary: Jessi Averill (she/her)
Jessi Averill currently works with a housing advocacy alliance in Washtenaw County whose mission is to end homelessness through the collaboration of more than 25 member agencies and other local, state, and national partners. In addition, she intersects her housing justice work with her efforts as a volunteer and board member with Groundcover News, Washtenaw County's street newspaper; as a volunteer on the Voices of Freedom Planning Committee for Freedom House Detroit, an organization supporting asylum-seekers with shelter and legal services; and as an active member with Detroit Disability Power where in the past she has participated on their Housing Action Team and Get Out the Vote campaigns.
Jessi is a caregiver and co-parent for two teenage daughters who she strives to model what community consciousness and action look like. For joy, she loves being present for her daughters' music and dance performances. For respite, she looks forward to watching a cooking show at the end of the workday or taking a weekend walk to the river with her partner of over 15 years.
Board Treasurer: Alan Hejl (he/him)
Alan Hejl is the founder and lead consultant at Spark Access. With a mission to improve accessibility and disability inclusion across the mobility industry for people with disabilities, Spark Access layers solutions for sparking inclusive innovation across products, services, and employment initiatives to deliver systemic and sustainable change.
Accessibility and removing barriers is a personal passion of his, as he identifies with chronic nerve pain & neurodiversity and has a partner who is paralyzed and a manual wheelchair user. Outside of work, when he isn’t cooking or gardening, Alan serves with the Ferndale Accessibility & Inclusion Advisory Commission for the city of Ferndale, Michigan, serves as a Board Member of Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC) and Disability Action, and participates as an active member with Detroit Disability Power. Alan also has an undergraduate degree from Michigan Tech University, certification in Disability Inclusion and Accessible Design from the University of Michigan, and is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) with the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). Alan was formerly in the automotive industry for 14 years between Ford Motor Company and General Motors, where he worked on connectivity, autonomous vehicles, and accessibility.
Board Member: Jasahn Larsosa (he/him)
Jasahn Larsosa is a founding board member for Disability Action. He is also a community and social justice organizer; Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) leader; and nonprofit executive serving as Executive Director for GreenLight Fund Detroit. As a nonprofit leader, Jasahn has attracted more than $10 million for advocacy, economic opportunity, safety net, youth leadership, research, and social justice initiatives. As a community organizer, he has mobilized over 15,000 volunteers to advance local agendas. As an IDEA and justice facilitator, he has trained or coached over 10 thousand corporate and community leaders across the U.S. and in 90 countries. As a proud mentor, Jasahn has fast-tracked more than a dozen people into social justice, nonprofit, corporate, government, and elected leadership.
Most recently, Jasahn served as Founding Director of Advocacy, Equity & Community Empowerment for the Detroit-based and nationally renowned civil rights and human services organization Focus: HOPE, where he provided overarching leadership to return this $27 million/175-person organization to preeminence as a racial justice leader which advocate for systems change and centers equity. He is a published researcher, serving as Principal Investigator for two major projects with the University of Michigan Schools of Education (CREATE Center) and Public Health as well as Wayne State University School of Social Work for dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline harming Detroit youth and to promote positive economic, workforce, and mental health outcomes for Black youth in workforce programs. He also co-authored a resource guide for inclusive and accessible elections in partnership with Detroit Disability Power. Jasahn is a trusted member of the Metro Detroit community, which is where he was born and where he and his wife Krystal are raising their three daughters.
Jasahn is also formally incarcerated due to the devastating War on Drugs which disproportionately imposed social, emotional, environmental, and economic impacts on the Black community. Jasahn earned his Bachelor’s degree from Ball State University while incarcerated in Indiana through an extended education program, studying Communications, History, and Counseling Psychology. But Jasahn’s lived experiences inform his understanding of the importance of strategic and equitable investment for repairing the harms of unjust systems. He’s driven in his role as GreenLight Fund Detroit’s Executive Director by a belief that Detroit, as the nation’s largest majority Black city, has an opportunity to serve as a global model for racial, economic, and social justice. Jasahn is a member on several boards. He enjoys reading, writing, outdoor activities, camping, and exploring the country with his family in their RV.
Staff
Executive Director: Dessa Cosma (she/her)
Dessa Cosma is the founding director of Disability Action, as well as Detroit Disability Power, a 501c3 organization committed to building power in the disability community. She is a long-time social justice organizer, fortunate to spend her career working for reproductive, racial, economic and disability justice. She is committed to bridging the gap between disability inclusion work and other social justice efforts in order to build big, powerful movements that dismantle interlocking systems of oppression. In addition to organizing, Dessa also enjoys facilitating workshops, gardening, traveling and reading. She lives in Detroit with her partner, their cat, and a sweet baby boy.
Advocacy Director: Eric Welsby (he/him)
Eric Welsby is the Founding Advocacy Director of Disability Action and Advocacy Director for its sister organization, Detroit Disability Power. With over 20 years of experience spanning political campaigns, non-profit leadership, and education, Eric also leads Welsby Consulting, specializing in campaign finance compliance and strategy. His leadership extends to several boards, including the Eagle Scout Alumni of Michigan, Michigan Bureau of Elections' Voting System Advisory Committee, and Wayne State University's Department of English Community Advisory Board.
Eric has co-authored works including "The A to Z of Effective, Inclusive Campaigns," the "Community Partnership Playbook," and "The Right to a Private and Independent Ballot." He holds an undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University, a certificate in Disability Inclusion and Accessible Design from the University of Michigan, and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace certificate from the University of South Florida.
Over the past four years, through the pursuit of grants, RFPs and fundraising events, Eric has secured over $600,000 in funding for nonprofit organizations, including Focus: HOPE, Detroit Disability Power, SciAccess and Scouting America. He has successfully obtained funding from local, state and national organizations like the City of Detroit, the United Way of Southeast Michigan, Michigan Voices, NASA, The Carter Center, The Joyce Foundation and Borealis Philanthropy.
Eric lives in Sterling Heights with his partner, their son and dog. A well-established nerd, he enjoys Star Trek, reading and PC gaming.