Tina Guenette Elected as Vice-Chair to U.S. Access Board

The U.S. Access Board elected Public Board Member Tina Guenette as its new Vice-Chair. Guenette is an accessibility advocate and motivational speaker and was appointed to the Board in 2023. As the office of Chair of the Board is currently vacant, Guenette will serve as Acting Chair where required, including during the Board's upcoming town hall in Rhode Island.

Every year, the Board elects officers, including a new Chair and Vice-Chair, which alternate between a Public Member and a Federal Member. As Vice-Chair, Guenette assumes the office most recently held by Dr. Michael Brennan, the former Executive Director of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I am honored to accept the position of Vice-Chair of the United States Access Board," Guenette remarked. "I'm a girl from the smallest state, and my mission is to make accessibility a priority in everything we do - across every state, in every community. Accessibility is not an add-on. It is the starting point. When we build accessible from the very beginning, everyone has access. Period. We are all temporarily able-bodied. Access is not for them. It's for us - for our parents, our kids, our neighbors, our future selves. Access doesn't happen by accident. It happens when we keep an open mind, hold a broad perspective, and refuse to leave people behind. We shouldn't just sit there. We should make a difference. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves with this Board, our federal partners, and advocates nationwide to turn policy into progress and promises into places where everyone belongs - because no one should be locked out of life."

As one of the foremost voices for accessibility in Rhode Island, Guenette leads advocacy efforts across her state and the nation. In 2019, she founded RAMP (Real Access Motivates Progress), a national non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers for people with disabilities. As its President and CEO, Guenette fights tirelessly to transform inaccessible spaces and mindsets.

In addition to the Access Board, Guenette serves as Vice Chair of the Rhode Island Governor's Commission on Disabilities and sits on the Governor's Commission on Aging. Furthermore, Guenette's impact has earned her nationwide acclaim. She is a recipient of honors such as the Rhode Island Community's Choice Person of the Year (2023) and the Girl Scouts of America's Leading Women of Distinction (2024).

The Access Board has a twenty-five member Governing Board. Twelve of its Governing Board members are representatives from most of the federal departments. Thirteen others, who are appointed by the President, are members of the public, and most of them must have a disability. The Access Board also employs approximately thirty staff across five units: Office of Executive Director, Office of Administration, Office of General Counsel, Office of Technical and Information Services, and Office of Information Technology.