Board Member
Meet your NABWIS Board Members and Regional Contacts
Ray Cebula
President
Raymond Cebula, J.D., received his J.D. from the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law in 1982. He spent a total of 23 years working with legal services and protection and advocacy services providing direct representation to individuals with disabilities having legal issues with the SSA. Much of this work focused on return to work, overpayment, impact litigation issues and all levels of the administrative appeals and Federal Court complaints up to the Circuit levels. He became part of Cornell University’s Work Incentive Support Center in 2000, and in January of 2005, Ray accepted a position with ILR's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment & Disability where he now serves as the Program Director of the Work Incentive Support Center.
He currently serves as the President of NABWIS, is an elected member of the National Association of Social Insurance and was presented with the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representative’s Eileen Sweeney Award.
Marsha Russo
Marsha Russo is the Goodwill NYNJ WIPA Director and CWIC. She has been successful in providing benefits advisement to over 700 individuals with disabilities seeking to transition into the workforce since 2013. She has come to understand the importance of breaking down complex information to ensure both beneficiaries, their families, and services providers can better navigate the SSA system. Marsha has presented for NY APSE and NYS ADSP, helping Day Service Staff and Job Coaches learn key work incentives as they support beneficiaries. Marsha joined the NABWIS Board in 2023 and has enjoyed joining the greater community. She obtained her master's degree from CUNY Baruch College and bachelor's degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and is obsessed with coffee.
Melanie Honsbruch
MELANIE.HONSBRUCH@cuanschutz.edu
Melanie Honsbruch, CPWIC, is a curriculum developer / trainer with the Colorado Office of Employment First. She has been a certified benefits counselor through Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) since 2003. Throughout her career, Melanie has provided direct benefits counseling services, supported individuals through benefit application processes, worked on the BOND (Benefit Offset National Demonstration) Project, promoted benefits planning in Vocational Rehabilitation, and supports employment conversations in healthcare transition clinics within Children’s Hospital. Melanie provides training and direct support in Benefits Planning and Employment First topics throughout Colorado.
Melanie joined the NABWIS Board to promote benefits counseling as a vital service for all beneficiaries of public benefit programs and to support efficacy in delivery of the service.
James R. Sheldon
James Sheldon worked at Neighborhood Legal Services, Buffalo, NY, for more than 30 years. He handled hearings and litigation involving Social Security, SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, special education, and vocational rehabilitation. His work incentives focus began as a Protection and Advocacy attorney in the late 1980s. He supervised a work incentive counseling project (1998-2018), overseeing multiple grants, including WIPA. He wrote or co-authored more than 30 policy briefs and many newsletter articles to support benefits counselors, primarily through Cornell University& Yang-Tan Institute. He was Project Director for the National Assistive Technology (AT) Advocacy Project (1996-2018), serving advocates throughout the country. He wrote or co-authored publications on funding of AT through programs like Medicaid, Medicare, special education, vocational rehabilitation, and ABLE accounts and trained on these and work incentive topics throughout the country. Mr. Sheldon has served on the NABWIS board for more than 14 years and co-authors the NABWIS Deeper Dive series.
Debora Wagner
Debora Wagner spent 25 years working as an attorney. She represented clients in disability benefits cases, with a focus on work incentives planning and VA disability benefits. From 2016 to 2022, she led the statewide network for work incentives training and technical assistance in Ohio. In December 2021, Debora joined the faculty at Cornell’s Work Incentives Support Center where she continues to provide work incentives training and technical assistance for thousands of work incentives planners across the country.
Kelley Land
Kelley Land has worked in the human service field since 2006. She is a Senior Trainer and Technical Assistance Liaison for the VCU National Training and Data Center. Her experience includes management, transition services, benefits counseling, and program implementation. Prior to joining VCU, Kelley was a Research Associate and Project Coordinator with the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and completed her Master’s degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in Human Resources from Indiana Wesleyan.
Kelley serves on the Colorado APSE board and the National Association of Benefits and Work Incentives Specialists (NABWIS) board. Kelley holds a strong belief that all individuals should be empowered to live a meaningful and successful life within their community; this includes supporting individuals through their employment opportunities.
Pablo Puente
Pablo.Puente@servicesource.org
Pablo has been working with people with disabilities for the last 15 years in many capacities, including training, employment, benefits counseling, and financial education. Pablo has been involved in bilingual benefits counseling projects in Florida, North Carolina, and Texas under private, state, and federally funded programs. Currently, he is the Director of Special Projects at ServiceSource where he manages several benefits counseling programs in North Carolina. Pablo also provides bilingual disability consulting work in the areas of benefits counseling and financial education. He holds a CWIC certification from Virginia Commonwealth University, a CWDP certification from the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, and an MBA from Western Governors University.
Stephanie Drum
Stephanie Drum has worked at Employment Resources, Inc. (ERI) in Wisconsin since 2006. She is the benefits specialist manager and lead trainer for the Wisconsin Disability Benefits Network. Stephanie provides benefits counseling services to individuals working with Vocational rehabilitation. Stephanie graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Michael.klinger@dars.virginia.gov
Michael Klinger has almost 20 years of experience working as a Certified Work Incentives Practitioner. At the beginning of his career, Mr. Klinger worked for an independent living center as a CWIC in Western New York as a contractor under the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) project. After six years in independent living, he relocated to Virginia. He now works for the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services as the statewide Work Incentives Specialist, coordinating the Work Incentives Specialist Advocate (WISA) program for the Commonwealth. Mr. Klinger provides technical assistance and training on federal and state benefits to the statewide WISA network and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors network around the state. As an individual who also has Cerebral Palsy ,he has professional and personal experience with the disability community. He has a passion for helping people with disabilities transition from benefits to work to become self-supporting and realize their full employment potential
Jolene Wyler
Vice President | jwyler@utah.gov
Jolene Wyler is the Director for the Utah Work Incentive Planning Services (UWIPS) with Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. In addition to her role at UWIPS, Jolene is also the program coordinator for ABLE Utah. She provides services to individuals receiving Social Security Disability benefits so they can make an informed choice about working and their benefits. Jolene graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology. She is currently serving as the Vice President on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Benefits and Work Incentives Specialists (NABWIS).
Aleyda Toruno
Aleyda has been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities for over 20 years. She is currently an Extension Associate at Cornell University’s, Yang Tan Institute, providing training and technical assistance to future benefits counselors. Working with clients with developmental disability through the employment continuum led her to the world of work incentives counseling. Prior to her current position at Cornell, she worked at Disability Rights California (DRC). While at DRC, she represented clients in mediations and hearings in the area of Social Security work incentives, vocational rehabilitation, special education, California Regional Center services, Medi-Cal and ultimately led the federally funded WIPA team at DRC.Aleyda has been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities for over 20 years. She is currently an Extension Associate at Cornell University’s, Yang Tan Institute, providing training and technical assistance to future benefits counselors. Working with clients with developmental disability through the employment continuum led her to the world of work incentives counseling. Prior to her current position at Cornell, she worked at Disability Rights California (DRC). While at DRC, she represented clients in mediations and hearings in the area of Social Security work incentives, vocational rehabilitation, special education, California Regional Center services, Medi-Cal and ultimately led the federally funded WIPA team at DRC.
Dee Gavaldon
dee.gavaldon@prideindustries.com
I am a lifelong resident of Sacramento, California. I have provided benefits planning services since 1988, when I began my adventure into the world of work incentives. In 1994, I was hired by Crossroads Diversified Services, an organization providing community employment services for individuals with behavior health disabilities. I have managed a team of benefits planning specialists since 2007 when Crossroads was awarded a WIPA contract from the Social Security Administration. In 2020, Crossroads merged with PRIDE Industries, where I currently work and continue managing the benefits planning team. I am delighted to be a member of the NABWIS Board of Directors, getting to know an amazing group of dedicated and knowledgeable people.
