For Immediate Release: November 5, 2025
Contact: Jess Davidson, jdavidson@aapd.com; Catherine Clements, catherine.clements@highmarkhealth.org
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Veronica Villalobos as Chair of the AAPD Board of Directors.
Villalobos is an executive with expertise in human capital management, strategic planning, talent development, and employment law. AAPD is one of the nation’s leading cross-disability civil rights groups dedicated to building the economic and political power of the more than 70 million people with disabilities across the United States.
Currently, Villalobos is the Vice President for the Institute for Strategic Social & Workforce Programs at Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network. In this position, she works to improve health care delivery and access, and leads workplace programs that foster a fair, collaborative, and empowering environment for all employees. Highmark Health has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work” for individuals with disabilities by the Disability Equality Index for the past 11 years.
Villalobos previously worked as the Principal Deputy Associate Director for Employee Services in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). In a prior position as Director of OPM’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion, she led efforts to increase federal employment of people with disabilities, hiring over 100,000 within five years.
Villalobos has been a member of the AAPD Board of Directors since 2021, bringing her significant experience with promoting civil rights and increasing disability employment to the organization during a critical moment for the disability community. She has been deeply involved with the organization in the last four years and was instrumental in developing AAPD’s most recent strategic plan. Her primary focus as Board Chair will be continuing to guide AAPD in its work to improve the employment opportunities and economic security for disabled people.
“I am committed to uniting leaders across all sectors to collaboratively build a future where the talents of people with disabilities are fully leveraged and recognized. This strategic imperative strengthens every business, ignites fresh perspectives, and propels innovation across industries,” Villalobos stated.
AAPD’s work is deeply personal to Villalobos because of her experiences as a woman living with a disability and her difficult experience trying to obtain proper care free from discrimination. This personal experience, coupled with her passionate belief that no one’s potential should ever be limited by prejudice, drove her to work in civil rights.
“We are thrilled to welcome Veronica Villalobos as the new Chair of AAPD’s Board of Directors. A respected leader in the healthcare field and a long-time leader in disability employment, Veronica is highly committed to serving on AAPD’s board and to increasing the power of disabled people. Veronica will provide instrumental guidance and leadership as AAPD continues to advocate for equal opportunity, economic power, and political participation for disabled people,” said AAPD President and CEO Maria Town.
In addition to naming Villalobos as chair of the Board, the American Association of People with Disabilities also named three new people to its Board of Directors:
- Self-advocate Armando Escobedo – Tri-County Independent Living
- Structured settlement expert Michael Goodman – NFP Structured Settlements
- Civil rights attorney Jennifer Mathis – Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law