Our Mission
Our Vision
To empower all Michiganders
with disabilities statewide.
To enable all Michiganders with disabilities to live to the best of their abilities and ambitions.
Our Story
MI-UCP was founded in 1949 as United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metropolitan Detroit (UCP/Detroit). This included Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. That same year, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Michigan (UCP/Michigan) was formed to serve the needs of constituents throughout the remainder of the state of Michigan.
In 2020, these two organizations merged into MI-UCP (Michigan United Cerebral Palsy). The goal is to expand our scope of service reach. In reality, more than 65 percent of the people we serve have a disability other than cerebral palsy. These include autism, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments and many other disabling conditions.
By unifying as MI-UCP, we are able to operate more efficiently and effectively as one of the state’s leading sources of information, referral and strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations. And by having offices in Detroit and Lansing, we can continue to be a leading advocate for all 1.4MM of Michiganders with disabilities.
Our Core Beliefs
ETHICS
Acting ethically with the highest level of honesty and integrity.
Leadership & Staff
Leslynn R. Angel
President & CEO
Diann Dudash
Director of
Programs & Advocacy
Paul T. Landry
Director of
Employment Programs
Benefits Counselor
CWIC Certified
Tamara Kincaid
Administrative Assistant
Kathy Tourneur
Navigator/Advocate
Mary Davis
Bookkeeper
Vanessa Danilowicz
Benefits Counselor
CWIC Certified
Felicia Grant
BA Benefits Counselor
CWIC Certified
Kendall Brocavich
WIPA Project Director
Lynn Davey
Representative Payee
Coordinator
Nakedae Cooper
Benefits Counselor
CWIC Certified
Tarek (Ted) Sawalha
POD Counselor
Lauren Geml
Administrative Assistant
Barbara Valliere
Public Policy Specialist
Tracy Strating
MI Assistive Technology
Loan Manager
Board of Directors
Ken Bluhm
Chair
Michelle O'Connor Teklinski
1st Vice Chair
Andrea Sarto
2nd Vice Chair
John Lawton
Secretary
Treasurer
April Kaylor
Immediate Past Chair
Charlie Hawes
Directors
David Brown
Judy Cerano
Jacqueline Kaufman
Joseph Lieto
Steve Lyons
Kristen Milefchik
Gretchen Perkins
Colleen Tate
Dan Vivian
Mike Ward
Jane Weatherford
Honorary Director
Betty Fisher
If you are interested in joining our board, please download and fill out the application
Financial Information:
As a 501C-3 charitable organization, MI-UCP operates with transparency.
We are proud affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy: www.ucp.org