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2026 National APSE Board of Directors At-Large Candidate

CLICK to meet all nominees before the election ends on March 15.

Please describe your history/nature of involvement/interest in promoting competitive integrated employment in your state. Additionally, explain why you are passionate about competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities:

My involvement in promoting competitive integrated employment has been central to my work for more than three decades and has shaped both my professional path and my values as a leader. I have worked in disability services across Texas, Indiana, and California, with the majority of my career focused on building and strengthening employment systems that move beyond segregation and toward meaningful participation in community life. In California, I am the Founder and Executive Director of Community Life Services, a CARF accredited nonprofit that provides integrated employment and community based supports. I founded the organization specifically to address gaps I observed in traditional service models that too often limited opportunity rather than expanded it. Throughout my career, I have worked to advance competitive integrated employment by designing and implementing customized employment models, strengthening employer partnerships, and ensuring that employment supports are rooted in individual strengths, interests, and long-term goals. I have led programs through funding changes, rate reform, and evolving regulatory expectations while maintaining a focus on employment as a core outcome, not an add-on service. I have also worked closely with regional centers, state agencies, employers, and community partners to align policy intent with real-world implementation. In California, I have played an active role in advancing Employment First principles through systems collaboration, provider leadership, and advocacy related to sustainable employment models. I have worked to demonstrate that integrated employment is not only achievable, but essential to dignity, economic security, and true community inclusion. This has included developing braided service models, supporting workforce development, and engaging employers as partners rather than placements. My passion for competitive integrated employment is rooted in the belief that work is about far more than wages. Employment provides identity, connection, purpose, and belonging. When people with disabilities are excluded from the workforce or steered into segregated settings, they are denied opportunities that shape independence and quality of life. I believe systems have a responsibility to remove barriers rather than reinforce them. I am passionate about Employment First because I have seen what is possible when people are supported with intention, creativity, and respect. I have also seen the harm that occurs when systems prioritize convenience or compliance over people. My commitment to competitive integrated employment is grounded in integrity, accountability, and a deep respect for the individuals and families we serve. That commitment continues to guide my work and is why I am seeking to contribute at the national level through APSE.

What best represents your position/lived experience?

Other

What skills, knowledge, or lived experience do you have that will contribute to strengthening and growing the financial health of APSE and promoting its mission to advance employment and self-sufficiency for all people with disabilities?

My ability to contribute to the financial health and long-term sustainability of APSE comes from a combination of lived leadership experience, fiscal responsibility, and a deep understanding of how mission and money must work together in practice. For more than thirty years, I have worked in disability services across Texas, Indiana, and California, including as the Founder and Executive Director of Community Life Services, a CARF accredited nonprofit providing integrated employment and community based supports. In that role, I am responsible for organizational strategy, financial oversight, compliance, and long-term sustainability. I have led organizations through growth, funding shifts, rate reform, and periods of uncertainty while maintaining program integrity and fiscal stability. I bring practical experience in nonprofit finance, budgeting, and accountability, supported by an MBA and my credential as a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional. I have managed complex funding streams, navigated Medicaid and state reimbursement systems, and made difficult decisions to ensure programs remain both mission aligned and financially viable. I understand the importance of responsible stewardship, transparency, and forward planning, particularly in environments where funding is constrained and expectations continue to grow. Equally important, I understand that financial health cannot be separated from mission. Sustainable organizations are built when values, strategy, and resources are aligned. Throughout my career, I have worked to strengthen employment services not by cutting corners, but by designing models that are efficient, person centered, and responsive to real world conditions. I have seen firsthand that strong financial systems support stronger outcomes for people. My lived experience as a nonprofit leader has also given me a clear view of the pressures facing providers and systems nationwide, including workforce challenges, reimbursement limitations, and increasing compliance demands. I bring a practical, solutions-oriented perspective to these issues and a commitment to thoughtful governance that balances fiscal responsibility with APSE’s mission to advance competitive, integrated employment. I am passionate about supporting APSE’s continued growth because I believe in its role as a national leader and advocate. I would bring integrity, financial insight, and a steady commitment to strengthening the organization in service of people with disabilities and their right to meaningful employment and economic self-sufficiency.

How do you think serving on the National APSE Board will help you grow as a leader in the Employment First Movement?

Serving on the National APSE Board would support my growth as a leader by deepening my perspective, strengthening my accountability to the broader field, and challenging me to think beyond my own organization and region. Much of my work over the past three decades has focused on building and sustaining effective employment systems at the local and state level. I have spent my career translating values into practice, navigating policy and funding realities, and working alongside people with disabilities, families, and providers to create meaningful employment outcomes. Serving on the APSE Board would allow me to expand that work through a national lens and to learn from colleagues who are addressing similar challenges in different contexts. I see board service as an opportunity to grow through collaboration. Being part of a national governing body would push me to listen more deeply, test my assumptions, and engage with diverse perspectives on workforce development, policy, and system design. It would also allow me to learn from leaders who are innovating in areas such as employer engagement, data-driven decision making, and inclusive workforce development across the country. Serving on the Board would strengthen my leadership by sharpening my governance skills and reinforcing the importance of long-term thinking, stewardship, and shared responsibility. I believe effective leadership in the Employment First movement requires both conviction and humility, a willingness to lead and a willingness to learn. Board service would support that balance. Most importantly, serving on the APSE Board would deepen my ability to contribute meaningfully to the movement as a whole. It would help me bring back broader insight to my own organization and community while also contributing practical, grounded experience to APSE’s national work. I view this opportunity not as a next step in a career, but as a way to continue growing in service to people with disabilities and to the values that guide inclusive employment.

Biography

Tracey Marquart, MBA, CNAP, ACRE, CESP Founder and Executive Director, Community Life Services Santa Cruz County, California. Tracey Marquart is the Founder and Executive Director of Community Life Services, a CARF accredited nonprofit organization in California providing integrated employment and community based supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With more than thirty years of experience in disability services across Texas, Indiana, and California, Tracey has dedicated her career to advancing competitive integrated employment and building systems that promote dignity, inclusion, and long-term success. Tracey founded Community Life Services to address gaps she observed in traditional service models and to create an organization grounded in person centered practice, meaningful employment, and community inclusion. Under her leadership, the organization has developed innovative, braided service models that integrate employment, community participation, and individualized supports while maintaining strong outcomes and fiscal responsibility. She holds an MBA and a Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation Administration and is a Certified Employment Support Professional and Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional. Her experience includes organizational leadership, financial oversight, program development, and extensive work within CARF accreditation standards. Throughout her career, Tracey has worked closely with state agencies, providers, employers, and community partners to advance Employment First principles and strengthen pathways to competitive, integrated employment. Tracey brings a systems-level perspective informed by hands-on leadership, policy engagement, and direct service experience. Her work reflects a consistent focus on accountability, sustainability, and aligning values with practice. She is deeply committed to ensuring that employment systems support real opportunity, economic independence, and community belonging for people with disabilities. She brings a steady, values-driven approach to leadership and is committed to strengthening Employment First through collaboration, accountability, and long-term systems thinking.