Ability360’s executive team is comprised of individuals with extensive experience and education. The team has over 70 years of collective experience in the nonprofit and independent living market.
Christopher Rodriguez
President and CEO
Christopher Rodriguez has an extensive history advocating alongside and on behalf of individuals with disabilities on the local, state, and national levels. Before becoming the President & CEO of Ability360, Rodriguez served as the Executive Director of Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA), an organization that aims to empower and advocate for the human and legal rights of people with disabilities. In addition, Rodriguez has held several other positions in the disability advocacy community, including Director of Public Policy for National Disability Institute, Director of Governmental Affairs and Media Relations for the Michigan Protection and Advocacy, and Director of Chapter Services at The Arc of Texas.
Rodriguez received his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his graduate degree in Public Affairs at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin. Rodriguez also holds a graduate minor in Disability Studies. Rodriguez’s passion for advocating comes from his experiences as the younger sibling to a person with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities.
April Reed
Vice President of Advocacy
April Reed is the Vice President of Advocacy and Designated Legislative Lobbyist at Ability360. Reed received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. She creates programs that empower individuals with disabilities and their families through advocacy-related workshops, one-on-one mentoring, facilitating wellness groups, providing technical assistance to develop consumer-driven initiatives and developing community partnerships to address barriers to consumer choice, equal rights and self-determination.
Reed supervises several programs including the 50-member peer mentor volunteer team; Benefits 2 Work Program for Social Security beneficiaries working or seeking employment; This is MY Life self-advocacy educational program for individuals receiving services through the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities: the Ability360 Employment Network, the Arizona Education and Empowerment Initiative; 360Youth; 360 in the Kitchen; and the Living Well in the Community Program.
Feng Chiou
Vice President of Finance
Feng Chiou joined the Ability360 team in 2002, when the agency budget was $6.5 million. She now oversees financial operations for a budget exceeding $40 million. After earning a bachelor’s in Accountancy at NAU, Feng applied her financial/accounting knowledge in positions at Maricopa Integrated Health System and St. Luke’s Health System. When she’s not crunching numbers, Ms. Chiou lends her expertise as a volunteer tax preparer for low-income individuals and has volunteered for Tzu Chi Foundation, an international humanitarian organization.
Gus LaZear
Vice President of Operations & Sports & Fitness Center
LaZear’s background includes more than 18 years of experience managing major programs and initiatives in rehabilitative medicine, recreational therapy, outdoor adventures and other adaptive programming for people with disabilities. For the last six years, LaZear handled responsibilities as lead therapeutic recreational therapist at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. LaZear earned a master’s of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Health Systems Management, from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation from California State University Northridge.
Penny Fore
Vice President of Home Care Services
Penny Fore is the Vice President of Home Care Services (HCS) and has been with Ability360 for over 27 years. She has 18 years of experience in Home Care Services focusing on providing consumer-driven non-medical attendant care services which assist consumers to live independently in their own homes. She has developed policies, procedures, and worked with a team to implement the federally mandated Electronic Visit Verification system for the HCS program. Currently, the HCS program is providing non-medical attendant care services to over 1,300 consumers in Maricopa, Pima, & Pinal counties and employs over 1,500 Personal Care Assistants.
John Beaubien
Director of Marketing & Communications
John Beaubien has been with Ability360 since 2008 and has a Bachelor of Graphic & Web Design from the Art Institute of Phoenix. He leads the marketing team to develop and implement marketing strategies to promote Ability360’s independent living services to the community. He oversees the creation and execution of marketing campaigns across various channels, such as digital advertising, social media, email marketing and printed collateral. He collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure that marketing initiatives align with overall organizational goals.