Board of Directors
The Alliance of Disability Advocates Board of Directors is an active board that is crucial to our success as an organization. Each member brings an important viewpoint to all conversations and is a valued member of the ADA team.
Board Members
Ali Ingersoll
Board Chair
Ali Ingersoll is a day trader, consultant, disability advocate, writer, blogger, editor, and public speaker. She started her advocacy mission after being repeatedly denied medically necessary equipment by insurance companies over the last 10 years since becoming a C6 quadriplegic and full-time wheelchair user after a shallow water diving accident.
Ali’s passion lies in coaching people with disabilities on how to improve their quality of life by teaching them to self-advocate in order to live a life of independence, dignity, and grace.
Ali has a firm philosophy of paying it forward by giving back to the community through outreach, working together, and building each other up. She believes it’s important to band together as one in order to affect the greatest change on the national stage and in local communities.
Crystal Johnson
Treasurer
Crystal Johnson was born and raised in Raleigh with a deep, meaningful connection with the NC community. Crystal has worked in the finance & accounting field since 2013.
Her goal as an ADA board member is to strengthen the disability community by using her finance and accounting experience. She has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity since 2009 and the Special Olympics Spring Games held in Raleigh.
Lee James
Secretary
Lee James, who sustained a C5-6 spinal cord injury and near-drowning at the age of 15 in a diving accident, is a licensed LCMHC counselor/therapist with over two decades of highly successful experience providing effective, evidence-based mental health services.
He earned 2 degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, a B.A. in Psychology in 1999, and a Masters of Science from the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Counseling in 2002, with internships as a staff therapist in the UNC Department of Psychiatry.
Since graduating in 2002, Lee has been honored to work in community mental health, specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) based interventions with dually diagnosed individuals via outreach team modalities with XDS Incorporated and UNC Center For Excellence In Community Mental Health of Chapel Hill. He is currently in private practice in Chapel Hill/Durham.
Leah Bergman
Board Member
Leah Bergman is a housing provider and developer based in North Carolina, overseeing approximately 1,200 housing units statewide through various legal entities collectively known as Bergman Rentals. Many of these units are in Durham and Raleigh and serve as workforce or affordable housing.
Leah is very active in the Durham community and collaborates with local nonprofits to increase access to affordable housing. Bergman Rentals participates in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, HUD VASH for veterans, and Rapid Re-Housing initiatives.
She has a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from NYU’s Stern School of Business and holds the CFA designation. Prior to joining the family business, she worked at JP Morgan Asset Management and Morgan Creek Capital Management. Leah lives in North Carolina with her husband and their three young children.
Angela Henderson
Board Member
Angela Henderson holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in professional counseling. Angela is a former employee with the City of Durham and currently works for the State of North Carolina as a Contracts Administrator.
Prior to retiring from the City of Durham, Angela’s Department served as the liaison department for the Mayor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities, which allowed her to participate in many of their activities.
Her volunteerism includes being a former board member and support parent for Family Support Network of Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties. A Support Parent Coordinator for the Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation at Duke Children’s Hospital from 2007-2012.
Sean Eberle
Board Member
Sean Eberle is an IT professional with 15 years of experience in the Research Triangle area. He was born to average-height parents with a rare form of dwarfism. He has two siblings, one who is also average height and one with the same type of dwarfism.
Born in raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sean moved to the warmth of Raleigh after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Syracuse University.
He competes in international adaptive CrossFit competitions, sled hockey, and participates in wheelchair tennis and rock-climbing clinics locally. He is active in Little People of America, Southbridge Fellowship of Raleigh, serving on the tech and security teams, and puppy raises potential service dogs for Canine Companions of Independence.
Jason McDonald
Board Member
Jason McDonald is a medical advocate, certified peer support specialist, and academic tutor. Living with cystic fibrosis and depression, he brings lived experience and a strong commitment to self-advocacy, resilience, and independence. He volunteers as a peer counselor, helping individuals navigate complex care systems and set meaningful wellness goals.
Jason has contributed to patient-centered care initiatives, collaborating with patients, families, and providers to improve programs and advance more responsive, equitable care. He also facilitated adaptive outdoor programs for individuals with disabilities through the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center.
He is passionate about understanding human behavior, both in one-on-one support settings and through his interest in equity markets.
Brooklin Green
Board Member
Brooklin Green is an international speaker and humorist in Raleigh, NC. She utilizes humor, play, and research for wellness, communication, and leadership skill growth. She currently teaches Communications at NC State, WakeTech, and William Peace University. She performs and directs/coaches improv at ComedyWorx, in Raleigh. She’s a Speaker coach who has coached several TEDx speakers. She’s a former professional comedian (multifaceted) who has performed, directed, written, and coached improv, sketch, and stand-up. She’s a graduate of Chicago’s Second City Conservatory and appeared on Nick at Nite’s Funniest Mom in America. She’s presented workshops for the International Society for Humor Studies at Boston University and designed courses like UNCW’s first “Comedy, Communication & Culture.” She holds an MA in Communications and Leadership from Gonzaga and is proudly a Cherokee Nation TERO certified, LLC. Her approach blends research, play, and humor for communication, wellness, leadership, and personal growth.
Want to Join?
The ADA Board of Directors is currently seeking new members from Durham, Franklin, Johnston, Orange, Pitt, Beaufort, and Wilson counties.
The ideal candidate is passionate about the right of people with disabilities to live in a community of their choice.
The make-up of the Alliance Board of Directors is to mirror the ethnic, racial, geographic, socioeconomic, and disability diversity of the counties we serve. 51% of the Alliance Board of Directors must have a significant disability.
The Responsibilities of an ADA Board Member include:
- Attend quarterly Board meetings
- Approve minutes
- Approve financials
- Approve programmatic report
- Receive training on ADA’s responsibilities are a Center for Independent Living (CIL) and their obligations as Board Members of a CIL.
- Participate on a committee and attend committee meetings
- Attend any specially called meetings
- Assist with/attend Alliance fundraising events
- Attend conferences, meetings, and trainings as needed.