Mathew McCollough
Director
DC Office of Disability Rights

Mathew McCollough served as the Executive Director of the DC Developmental Disabilities Council prior to being named the DC Office of Disability Rights’ (ODR) Director on July 3, 2017. Before his tenure at the DDC, he served as the Communications Manager for ODR when the office was first established. He was the lead coordinator on issues related to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for DC Government. Between 2002 and 2008, he served as a Grants Manager and Trainer with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and for the National Service Inclusion Project, a training and technical assistance provider that advocates on behalf of individuals with disabilities.

McCollough has either been elected or appointed to several commissions and boards that focus on health equity and human rights, including the Chair of the District of Columbia State Rehabilitation Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Health Equity Council, and the District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights. In 2016, he was elected Board President of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and this honor represented the first time the Association elected a President with developmental disabilities.

In 2011, McCollough was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the United States Access Board, an independent federal agency devoted to establishing accessibility standards that promote the full integration and participation of people with disabilities. In 2015, President Obama reappointed him to serve a second term on the U.S. Access Board. McCollough received a master’s in public administration from American University and a bachelor’s in political science from James Madison University. He has lived in Washington, DC since 2001 and currently resides in Ward 6.

Jessica Hunt
Attorney Advisor
DC Office of Disability Rights

Jessica Hunt has been the Attorney Advisor for the DC Office of Disability Rights for the past eight years, and is a licensed attorney in DC and KY, and an associate of the VA Bar. She holds her JD from the University of Kentucky College of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts from Centre College. She also holds a Masters in Secondary Special Education and Transition from the George Washington University.

In her current position, Ms. Hunt processes complaints of disability discrimination and provides guidance and training to District of Columbia employees and residents on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), and disability sensitivity and etiquette. She serves as part of the Mid-Atlantic ADA Leadership Network’s cadre of trainers, and her areas of expertise include service animals, housing and shelter situations, and reasonable accommodation. Additionally, Ms. Hunt is the Coordinator for the District’s Olmstead Community Integration Plan, which seeks to help transition individuals from long-term care facilities into the community.

Prior to her employment with ODR, she spent four years at the U.S. Department of the Army Headquarters, Office of Civil Rights, as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist. Before completing law school at the University of Kentucky in 2007, Ms. Hunt accepted a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Chauny, France, where she conducted independent research on the differences between living with a disability in the United States and The European Union. As a District resident, Ms. Hunt serves her community as a member of the DC Advocacy Partners and was appointed by Mayor Bowser to serve on the Commission for National Community Service.