Ramona Hattendorf

Director of Advocacy

Serving since 2016

Ramona Hattendorf came to disability rights after a decade advocating to close education gaps in Washington schools. Her first career was in journalism, working for newspapers large and small in Idaho, California, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Illinois. More recently she has worked in nonprofit marketing, government relations, and civic engagement, specializing in helping people develop and analyze policy proposals and engage with elected leaders.

She was an active parent volunteer for years, serving as president of the Seattle Council PTSA - where she mentored Parent Teacher Association/Parent Teacher Student Association leaders across the city - and helped found the Washington Family Engagement Trust and the Washington arm of the Parent Leadership Training Institute, teaching its public policy sequence at Everett Community College.

She has served as governor appointee to the Career Education Opportunities Task Force, on the state steering committee for Washington’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Project, and on the state’s Ready and Successful School Work Group for young children.

She first started working on disability issues as a government relations coordinator working with parents statewide to implement social emotional learning; positive behavior interventions and supports; equity, access and opportunity for students with disabilities; and ending use of restraints and isolation.

At The Arc, she works with advocacy coalitions and government leaders to improve supports for people with disabilities, and produces news and education materials to help people understand and engage in public policy. She studied journalism and international relations at the University of Southern California, earning her bachelor of arts degree in 1987.