National Council on Disability Executive Director Retires

NCD #06-512
June 16, 2006 

WASHINGTON—The National Council on Disability (NCD) today announced the retirement of its long-standing executive director, Ethel D. Briggs, who served the agency for 21 years.

Ms. Briggs, a long-time disability advocate, will retire on June 30, 2006, after more than 30 years of public service. Since joining the NCD staff in 1985, she has also served as deputy director and director of adult services. She is a former chief of the Office of Staff Development and Training for the Washington, D.C., Rehabilitation Services Administration.

According to NCD chairperson, Lex Frieden, “Ethel Briggs has committed a substantial part of her life to NCD, serving the agency from its infancy, through the development and drafting of the Americans with Disabilities Act, to its enactment, and onto the present day. Through her loyalty and dedicated service, she has helped NCD improve the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities. We wish her well in her future endeavors.”

Ms. Briggs received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University and her graduate degree in counseling from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

NCD will appoint an acting executive director to begin on July 1 and establish a search committee for a permanent executive director.

NCD is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the lives of all people with disabilities and their families.