Marcie Roth
Executive Director and CEO, World Institute on Disability
“My overall goal is creating an environment of independence that improves the quality of life of an individual. Be a resource to someone. If you have something you can share with others do it. Experience is the best teacher, and if we share our experiences, we can grow through the exchange of knowledge.”
We are proud to induct Marcie Roth into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.
Marcie Roth is Executive Director and CEO for the World Institute on Disability, one of the first global disability rights organizations. WID was founded in 1983 by Judy Heumann, Ed Roberts and Joan Leon and has been continually led by people with disabilities.
Active in the Independent Living movement since 1982, Marcie has served in senior and executive leadership roles for national and global disability advocacy and public policy organizations since 1995, establishing and leading coalitions committed to operationalizing disability inclusion as an intersectional imperative for global social justice. Her focus on improving disaster outcomes for people with disabilities & building accessible disaster-resilient communities began in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks while advising the White House on the rights & urgent needs of people with disabilities living in the area around ground zero. She was appointed by President Obama to the US Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2009 and charged with establishing the FEMA Office of Disability Integration and Coordination.
Marcie is an expert consultant to corporations, governments, universities and the United Nations on disability inclusive emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction, climate justice, humanitarian action and community resilience. She established the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies in 2017 and serves on their Board of Directors.
At WID, Marcie leads global focus on the rights and opportunities of the world’s 1.3 billion people with disabilities in all aspects of community living, with a mission to disrupt exclusion by operationalizing and accelerating inclusion. Marcie is a Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Fellow with a BS in Public Safety Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Marcie’s family, Donovan, Jessa, Dustin, Chris, Jessica and especially Addison Grace are the center of her universe, always reminding her that family is what really matters most.