Debbie Ball
Vice President at Easterseals
Beginning her career as a direct support professional, Debbie (she/her/hers) has spent 30 years advocating for societal change and creating pathways to make it happen. A Vice President at Easterseals since 1998, she oversees the organization’s WorkFirst Employment Services throughout Southern California. In addition to advancing vision and aptitude within Easterseals Southern California’s Employment Division, she works with stakeholders throughout the country to build capacity and create awareness and urgency around equity, inclusion, and access to employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Under Debbie’s leadership, Easterseals employment services have expanded to include direct placement, customized employment, micro-enterprise development, and the Bob Hope Veteran Support Program. These approaches use a variety of Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) and Department of Developmental Services (DDS), as well as private funding, to ensure that individuals with a diverse array of disabilities receive one-on-one support to secure meaningful employment.
In 2018, she was tapped as a national subject matter expert by the Department of Labor Office on Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and has since provided technical assistance under the following ODEP Initiatives: Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP), Veterans Return to Integrated Competitive Employment (RICE) and Visionary Opportunities to Increase Competitive Employment (VOICE).
In 2020, she was appointed a national subject matter expert by TASH, providing technical assistance for the U.S. Department of Health, Administration on Disabilities, Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC).
Having recently served in officer positions for both the National and CA Chapter of APSE boards of directors, she remains active as an advisory committee member of the UCLA Tarjan UCEDD and is a member of multiple organizations including Association of People Supporting Employment First, California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and Autism Society of America.
A former business owner, Debbie holds her degree in Business Management from University of Redlands
Short: Debbie Ball has been with Easterseals since 1992, where her career has focused primarily on employment supports and workforce development. In addition to being passionate about employment, she is a lucky sister, loving aunt, devoted dog mom, avid photographer, self-proclaimed book geek, and a cook.
