Carrie England, Executive Director
Carrie England began working with the California State Independent Living Council in December 2019. Her prior job was at the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) as the Section Chief over the Independent Living, Assistive Technology and Traumatic Brain Injury Section. She also served at DOR as a Staff Services Manager I and Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Carrie has prior experience in Independent Living as a center Director in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Vice President, Treasurer and CIL representative for the Iowa SILC. She started her career as the Project Director for the Workability IV Program at Fresno State and served as adjunct faculty for the Rehabilitation Counseling program, teaching at the graduate level.
Carrie holds 2 Master’s Degrees – Rehabilitation Counseling from CA State University Fresno and Business Administration from Bellevue University in Nebraska. She enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, crafting and playing with the family dog.
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Allison Viramontes-Nhan, Legislative Specialist
Allison Viramontes-Nhan began working with the California State Independent Living Council in May 2023. Allison brings a wealth of legislative experience to this position. Her previous job was at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) as a Legislative Coordinator with the Office of Legislative and Governmental Affairs. She also worked at the Dental Board of California as a Legislative and Regulatory Analyst. Throughout her professional experiences, she has gained not only knowledge but an enthusiasm to help others.
Allison received her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Sciences from the University of California, Irvine, and earned her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. In her spare time, Allison enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, staying active, and traveling.
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Danielle Hess, Office Manager
Danielle Hess began working as the Office Manager for the California State Independent Living Council (SILC) in April 2015. Danielle brings a breadth of knowledge and experience to her position at the SILC having served as an Office Technician at the California Department of Public Health and a Student Assistant at the California Department of Rehabilitation in the workforce development section. Her responsibilities include administrative support and conference and meeting planning as well as tracking accounting information, orders and contracts.
Danielle previously worked with the SILC on the Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities. In her current position, she welcomes the opportunity to expand her range of office support skills and management tasks in an environment where autonomy is valued.
Danielle graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. Outside of work, she enjoys quilting, sewing, crafts and board games as well as refining her cooking skills by experimenting with new recipes.