Jaycees Name AAPD's Imparato One of Ten 2005 Outstanding Young Americans
August, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brad Gemeinhart
918-584-2481 ext. 418TULSA, OKLAHOMA – The United States Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is pleased to announce that Andrew J. Imparato has been named as one of the 2005 Ten Outstanding Young Americans. The presentation of the 67th annual black-tie awards ceremony will be held September 17, 2005, in the Boston, Massachusetts World Trade Center.
Andrew J. Imparato, 40, is the first full-time President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) a national non-profit membership organization for political and economic empowerment of all people with disabilities. With more than 115,000 members, AAPD is the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S.
In 2004, Imparato was appointed by Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to the Maryland Statewide Independent Living Council, an independent policy body working to maximize the ability of Marylanders with disabilities to live independently. In 2003, Imparato was appointed by Senators Daschle and Kennedy to serve as a Panel Member of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel to the Social Security Administration. Imparato was also elected in 2003 to serve on the Executive Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse coalition dedicated to promoting civil and human rights for all people.
Prior to joining AAPD, Imparato was general counsel and director of policy for the National Council on Disability, an attorney advisor with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy. He has shaped policies from inside and outside the government that are helping to realize the promise of Americans with disabilities.
Imparato, whose perspective is informed by his own experience with bipolar disorder, is frequently called upon to write, speak, or provide testimony about disability issues. His essay on the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings relating to disability rights appears in The Rehnquist Court: Judicial Activism on the Right, H. Schwartz, ed., Hill and Wang, 2002. He is an advisor on disability market and accessibility issues for Microsoft, IBM, SAP, America Online, Verizon, and other leading businesses.
Imparato, his wife Elizabeth Nix, and their children Agee and Nicholas, reside in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Ten Outstanding Young Americans program (TOYA) is one of the oldest and most prestigious recognition programs in America. Annually since 1938, The United States Jaycees has sought out the ten young men and women who best exemplify the finest attributes of America’s youthful achievers.
The TOYA selection process begins in the spring of each year. Following the submission deadline, all nominations are forwarded to a panel of screening judges who, working independently, select and rank their top twenty choices. The top twenty point getters become the finalists. The finalists’ nominations are forwarded to a panel of finalist judges who rank their top ten choices. The task of judging the nominations is arduous.
Each nominee’s accomplishments and contributions are also judged in relation to the Jaycee Creed: “…That earth’s great treasure lies in human personality, and that service to humanity is the best work of life” and they must meet certain qualifications: age (21-40, inclusive), American citizenship (or application therefore), and agree to attend the TOYA Awards Ceremony.
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