Speaker Bio | Lauren Pearcy

Lauren Pearcy serves as the Executive Director of the TN Council on Developmental Disabilities. The Council on Developmental Disabilities is part of Tennessee state government and exists in every US state and territory. Created by Congress in the 1960s, Councils are charged with broad systems change in the disability service system. They are guided by citizen members appointed by the Governor. Lauren believes this is the sweet spot for effective public policy: connecting decision makers in government with the people affected by those decisions. Before joining the Council, Lauren has worked in leadership roles at Tennessee’s Medicaid Agency, TennCare, and at the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington, DC. During her tenure at the NGA, Lauren was assigned to staff the chair of the association, Governor Jack Markell (Delaware). Governor Markell’s Chair’s Initiative, “A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities,” changed the trajectory of Lauren’s life by introducing her to disability policy. Lauren has a Master’s in Public Policy from the George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis