Kristin Conder

Secretary

An active member of the community, Kristin Conder has been involved with Lanterman for five years, and participates in many programs and activities. Among these are the Service Coordination and Advocacy Training, for which she is a parent presenter; and the Peer Support Partner Program, in which she is a trained mentor for other parents, specializing in the areas of autism and education rights/advocacy. She has twice attended the annual Grassroots event where representatives from our community travel to Sacramento for a day of advocacy.

Conder grew up in Texas, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin. Her degree led her to her career as a videotape editor and producer at CNN and KNBC. Conder's husband Chuck, is a senior field producer at CNN. Currently, Conder devotes the majority of her time to her two children, Kacy (8) and Jake (6), and is an active participant in her local school system. With her knowledge and experience, Conder believes she will be able to make a solid contribution to the board.

“I would like to voice the needs of parents whose children are accessing the services of both the regional center and the school district,” says Conder. “I would like to see an expanded outreach program, giving parents guidance on how to best help their child. However, I also believe it is important for parents to educate pediatricians, and the general education teachers at their child's school. The parent is the expert on their child and his or her disabilities, and by sharing information with our doctors and our schools, we are not only helping them to understand our children, but by doing so are also helping other parents and children with special needs. Along with that, I would also like to see greater acceptance of individuals with developmental disabilities in their local schools and in their community.”

Updated December 6, 2007