Susan Pierce is the Grants Manager at Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA) in Little Rock, Arkansas, having previously held the positions of Director of Policy and Planning, Director of Advocacy and Advocate/Investigator. As an advocate/investigator, Susan investigated allegations of abuse and neglect in institutional settings, particularly for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental illness, and monitored facilities for abuse, neglect, and rights violations. Additionally, Susan worked on homelessness issues and housing discrimination, as well as the promotion of accessible, affordable housing, universal design, and all facets of community integration for people with disabilities. As the Director of Advocacy, Susan supervised advocacy staff. As the Director of Policy and Planning and now as Grants Manager, Susan manages the federal grants that fund DRA’s work, performs quality assurance audits on all casework and project work for the agency, and manages the Disability Advocacy Database system. Prior to arriving at DRA, Susan worked for Disability Determination for Social Security Administration as a claims adjudicator, and for community providers serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a case manager. Susan graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in History, with minors in Marketing, Journalism, and Sociology.