Clarence J. Sundram, JD
is a nationally recognized expert on conditions in institutions and community programs for persons with mental disabilities. He currently serves as the Special Master in class action lawsuits in Maine and Washington, DC involving the rights of persons with mental disabilities. For 20 years, he served as the founding Chairman of the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, an independent state oversight agency charged with advising the governor and legislature, investigating deaths, child abuse, patient abuse, and financial fraud and abuse in programs serving persons with mental disabilities. The Commission also serves as New York State's Protection & Advocacy agency for persons with disabilities. Mr. Sundram has also served as Vice-Chairman of the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Protection & Advocacy Agencies.

Prior to his service on the Commission, Mr. Sundram served as Assistant Counsel to the Governor of New York where his responsibilities included corrections, criminal justice, juvenile justice and mental health. Mr. Sundram has also served by appointment as a member of court monitoring bodies in several landmark class action cases involving institutional reforms, and as a Neutral Fact-Finder and Expert Witness. He has consulted in over 20 states and for the US Department of Justice on issues of client protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation; investigations; and Quality Assurance and risk management. Mr. Sundram has also participated in international efforts to reform mental health services in Uruguay, Armenia and the Russian Federation as a member of the Board of Mental Disability Rights International and as a consultant to UNICEF and WHO.

Under Mr. Sundram's leadership, the Commission has been cited by the Public Citizen Health Research Group for its innovative approaches to monitoring conditions in institutions and community programs. In 1990, the Commission won an Innovations Award from the National Council of State Governments for pioneering a new approach to obtaining timely informed consent for major medical treatment for persons who are incompetent to make decisions for themselves.

Mr. Sundram has been invited to lecture at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and at the National Judicial College. He has conducted workshops on institutional reform for members of the Russian Duma and several Ministries. He has testified by invitation before both Houses of Congress and before state legislative committees regarding legislation dealing with abuse, neglect and exploitation. He has published numerous articles in legal and other professional journals, and is a frequent speaker at national conferences. He has appeared on such programs as Nightline, 48 Hours and The CBS Evening News. He has received several awards in recognition of his public service, including legislative resolutions by the New York State Senate and Assembly; Distinguished Public Service Awards from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of the University of Albany and from the New York State Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Human Rights Award from the American Psychosocial Rehabilitation Association; a Special Award from the American Association on Mental Retardation and the Humanitarian Award from the New York City Chapter of the Association for Retarded Children.

Elizabeth W. Bauer
has advocated the legal and human rights of all persons, especially persons with disabilities, for over four decades. As a volunteer and in various professional roles she has championed enlightened public policy and the development of inclusive, consumer-directed, culturally competent, community-based services and supports for people with disabilities in Michigan, nationally and in numerous other countries. She has served as a speech pathologist; special educator and school administrator; director of staff development and later director of community placement in Michigan's public mental health system; and, for the past twenty years, executive director of Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. (the federally mandated rights protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities in Michigan). Currently, she is an elected member of the State Board of Education in Michigan. She also consults throughout the United States and internationally on human rights and the development of civil society. Mrs. Bauer is the mother of four children, each of whom has experienced disability and one of whom is a recipient of public mental health services in Michigan.

Mrs. Bauer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College, did graduate work in Speech Pathology at the University of Minnesota and holds a Master's degree in Education of Exceptional Children from The Ohio State University. She completed extensive post-graduate work in education administration at Wayne State and Michigan State Universities.

Holly Burkhalter
serves as Vice President of Government Relations for International Justice Mission. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems.

Ms. Burkhalter graduated from Iowa State University in 1978 (Phi Beta Kappa) and received the University’s “Outstanding Young Alumnus” award in 1984. Before joining IJM, Ms. Burkhalter most recently served as the U.S. Policy Director of Physicians for Human Rights, a Boston-based human rights organization specializing in medical, scientific, and forensic investigations of violations of internationally recognized human rights. Prior to joining Physicians for Human Rights, Ms. Burkhalter worked with Human Rights Watch for 14 years as Advocacy Director and director of its Washington office. Previously, Ms. Burkhalter staffed the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations from 1981 to 1983. From 1977 to 1981 she worked for Representative (now Senator) Tom Harkin, D-IA.

As Vice President for Government Relations, Ms. Burkhalter serves as IJM’s liaison with Congress and the executive branch of the U.S. government. She is a source of expertise about human rights abuses suffered by IJM’s clients in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and advises policy makers about strategies to bring U.S. influence to bear on behalf of victims of these crimes.

Ms. Burkhalter is a frequent witness before Congress, testifying most recently on the issue of HIV/AIDS and the health worker shortage in Africa (House International Relations Committee, 2005), on HIV/AIDS in Asia (House International Relations Committee, 2004), and on HIV transmission in medical settings (Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 2003).

Ms. Burkhalter publishes articles and opinion pieces regularly on a range of human rights issues including HIV/AIDS, genocide, women’s rights, and U.S. human rights policy. Ms. Burkhalter’s recent opinion-editorials include “In Africa, Rape as a Risk Factor” (Washington Post, 8/14/06),“AIDS and the Evangelicals” (Foreign Affairs, January/February 2004), “Misplaced Help in the AIDS Fight” (Washington Post, 5/25/04), “Better Health, Better Lives for Sex Workers” (Washington Post, 12/8/03), “Neglecting the Needles” (Washington Post, 9/21/03), and “No to Torture” (Washington Post on 1/5/03). Ms. Burkhalter is also the author of a chapter on advocacy in the forthcoming (2006) book Public Health and Human Rights, published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Ms. Burkhalter was appointed by President Clinton to be a member of the board of the U.S. Institute for Peace in 2000 and continues to serve as an active board member to the present day. Ms. Burkhalter currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and children.

Judi Chamberlin
is a psychiatric survivor and a long-time activist in the survivor/consumer/ex-patient movement. She is a co-founder of the Ruby Rogers Advocacy and Drop-In Center, a self-help center run by and for people who have received psychiatric services, and she is a staff associate with the National Empowerment Center. Judi has been a devoted NARPA member since the organization's earliest days. Judi is the author of On Our Own: Patient Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System, which was originally published in 1978 and has recently been republished in Britain and Italy. She has also written numerous articles about the movement, self-help and patients' rights.

Judi is currently affiliated with the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation where she directs a research project on user-run self-help services. She is a long-time board member of NARPA and the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS). Other boards and committees on which she serves include: the Massachusetts Mental Health State Planning Council; the Disability Law Center Governing Board; the Coalition for the Legal Rights of People with Disabilities; and the Consumer/Survivor Mental Health Research and Policy Work Group.

Judi has spoken at conferences and meetings throughout the U.S. and has appeared on many radio and television programs such as Oprah, Sally-Jessy Raphael and Geraldo, discussing the topics of self-help and patients' rights. Her international appearances include Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Holland, Portugal, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In 1992, Judi was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She also received the David J. Vail National Advocacy Award and the 1995 Pike Prize, which honors those who have given outstanding service to people with disabilities.

Paul Steven Miller
an internationally renowned expert in disability law, joined the faculty of the University of Washington School of Law in 2004, after spending twelve years in public service in Washington, DC. He was one of the longest serving commissioners of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces employment discrimination laws. While at the EEOC, Professor Miller spearheaded the development of the agency's successful mediation program. He has also served as the White House liaison to the disability community and as Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. Prior to joining the U.S. government, Professor Miller was the director of litigation for the Western Law Center for Disability Rights and taught at the law schools of Loyola University and UCLA. He began his career as a litigation associate at a Los Angeles law firm.

Professor Miller currently sits on the Ethics, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research Advisory Board of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He is a fellow of the British American Project and a former trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Miller is an active member of the American Bar Association's Labor and Employment Section and a fellow of the ABA Foundation. In 2003, Professor Miller received an honorary Doctor of Laws from CUNY Law School. Professor Miller is a member of the UW Graduate School faculty, a Faculty Associate of the UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, and a faculty advisor to the UW School of Law Health Law Concentration Track. He is also an investigator for the UW Center for Genomics and Health Equality.

Robert L. Schiffer
has distinguished credentials that range from Wall Street to appointments under two White House Administrations and a New York Governor. He is renowned for his broad experience in financial markets, diplomacy, and crisis management, negotiations and trade policy. Mr. Schiffer is the Executive Vice President of the Justice Project and Executive Vice President of the US Vietnam Trade Council. He provides advice to corporate and non-profit clients in international trade, finance and project development as a Director in the KKRI Corporation.

Mr. Schiffer is also noted as one of Washington's leading experts on Vietnam commercial and political issues. His long involvement in Vietnam included an appointment from 1998 to 2001 as Senior Advisor to US Ambassador to Vietnam Pete Peterson. As the Ambassador's top political envoy on business matters, he developed new strategies to promote US-Vietnam business and finance, labor standards, and international trade. He is credited for his pivotal role in the successful negotiations of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement and the OPIC-Vietnam Bilateral Investment Agreement.

Before his service in Vietnam, Mr. Schiffer was Vice President for Investment Development at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). During nearly two years, he managed the agency's product development, business and market development, and public affairs strategies. He led efforts to open business investment in Eastern and Central Europe, South Korea and Vietnam and was a key strategist with Congress, business and the labor community on OPIC's congressional reauthorization.

From 1993-1997 Mr. Schiffer held senior positions at the United States Information Agency (USIA), directing agency activities in Russia, the NIS, South Africa, China and Vietnam. He was noted for initiatives he led that assisted the peace process in the Middle East and in Northern Ireland, promoted legal reform and intellectual property, and created innovative professional exchange and training programs around the world.

Mr. Schiffer began his Federal service in 1993 in the White House where he worked
as a Special Assistant in the Office of Management and Budget on the National Performance Review.

Mr. Schiffer's Wall Street experience from 1981-1992 included ranking positions with Drexel Burnham (Managing Director of the East Coast Public Finance Group), L.F Rothschild (Managing Director), A.G. Becker (Senior Vice President - firm later known as Becker Paribas) and Bear Stearns and Company (Vice President). He also was
a founding partner of a boutique private financial firm, Schiffer and Lacey.

His accomplishments included the first private credit enhancement for a non-profit institution and development of the distressed hospital program (which tapped new capital for hospitals with low credit ratings), as well as being senior manager for the financing of Columbia Presbyterian and Mount Sinai Hospitals.

During late 1970's (1975-1981) Mr. Schiffer held high positions in the Administration of New York State Governor Hugh Carey. As Deputy Director of the Budget he helped lead efforts for New York to re-enter the credit markets after its fiscal crisis. He was also the Governor's manager in the development of the first capital program for public transportation and the State's reentry in housing and hospital financing. Mr. Schiffer also served as Deputy Secretary for Health and Human Services and as First Deputy Director of Personnel and Appointments.

Mr. Schiffer's civic activities have included serving as Chairman of the New York State Real Estate Advisory Board to the Governor, Director and Treasurer of the Board of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Chairman of the Committee for Housing New York and the US Vietnam Trade Council. Today he sits on the boards of The Alliance for Safe Children in Bangkok, Thailand, that focuses on global child injury prevention and the John F. Kennedy Institute for Worker Education. Mr. Schiffer received his BA at the University of Tennessee and attended the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Managers in Government. He presently resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife MaryAnn Holohean and their daughter Anna.

Patricia M. Wald
served on the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction from 2004-2005. She is a former Judge and Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals DC Circuit. She is also the Chair of the Open Society Justice Initiative. She has been a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia representing the United States, 1999-2001; Judge on District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, 1979-1999; and Chief Judge, 1986-1991; and Assistant Attorney General, US Department of Justice, Office of Legislative Affairs, 1977-1979.

Ms. Wald practiced public interest law and was a member of national and local criminal policy commissions. Ms. Wald has been a council member and Vice President of American Law Institute (1988-1998) and has traveled and consulted with Eastern European judicial and legal organizations for CEELI-American Bar Association. She has authored extensive legal articles on judicial administration, women's rights, international and comparative law, legislative history, criminal procedure, juvenile law, administrative law (environmental review), judicial ethics and mental health law.

Alicia Ely Yamin, JD MPH
is the Joseph H. Flom Fellow on Global Health and Human Rights at
Harvard Law School and an Instructor at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Before beginning her fellowship in September 2007, she was the Director of Research and Investigations at Physicians for Human Rights, where she oversaw all of the organization’s field investigations. Yamin has conducted human rights documentation and advocacy with non-governmental organizations in Latin
America and the United States for over fifteen years. She is internationally recognized as a leader in the conceptualization and implementation of rights-based approaches to health, and has published dozens of articles and several books relating to health and human rights in both English and Spanish. Yamin is executive editor (Critical Concepts) of the journal Health and Human Rights, In the United States, she serves on the Board of the Center for Economic and Social Rights, as well as on the advisory board of the Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health. She is also a member of the editorial review boards of Human Rights Quarterly and Human Rights and the Global Economy. Yamin also serves on multiple advisory and editorial boards in Latin America, as well as on the Steering Committee of the Madrid-based initiative, Human Rights Ahead.