Amanda Steele (she, her, hers)
Amanda Steele was born and raised in Arizona, having a child at the young age of 17. Amanda’s son Jordan was diagnosed with autism and Intellectual and Developmental Disability at the age of three. Amanda took a path that complemented both her personal life and her career. In 2015 she became a Speech Language Pathology Assistant after graduating from Northern Arizona University with a B.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences. In May 2021, Amanda led a team of advocates through the grassroots movement #FundAzSPED to demand more funding for early intervention and special education services as the state of Arizona had a historic budget surplus. The FundAzSPED movement ignited interest in creating a nonprofit organization to educate, advocate, and create connections to empower the disability community. As a result, Amanda is a Co/Founder and President of EPIC Disability Advocacy, an organization whose vision is to empower the community to create societal change where everyone can reach their full potential. She has spent time in the nonprofit sector, developing over 20 sustainable in-person and virtual programs between 2019-2021. She is a 2019 graduate of AZ Partners in Leadership program, through which she and other participants successfully advocated for the passage of Dignified Changes, law that requires new or renovated public restrooms in government buildings to have at least one adult size changing station. In March 2021 Amanda completed the Leading For Change Candidate Training program. She received the 2019/20 Parent of the Year Award from the Council for Exceptional Children and the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award through Girl Scouts of America. Amanda is an advocate for the disability community, igniting changes both locally and statewide.