Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Announces Sherman Gillums Jr. to Direct Public Policy and Advocacy Program 

Former FEMA disability coordinator to lead the Foundation’s federal policy priorities, including critical funding for the National Paralysis Resource Center

SHORT HILLS, NJ, July 10, 2025 — The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced today the appointment of Sherman Gillums, Jr., Ed.D, as Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. In this leadership role, Gillums will lead the Foundation’s advocacy efforts to advance its mission to cure spinal cord injury (SCI) through innovative research and improve the quality of life for people living with paralysis via its National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC).

“We are thrilled for Sherman to join the Reeve Foundation. With his expertise and deep commitment to the disability community, he will be instrumental in ensuring sound public policy that results in improved quality of life for the paralysis community,” said Maggie F. Goldberg, President and CEO of the Reeve Foundation. “Sherman joins the Foundation at an important time, with the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Proposal calling for the complete elimination of the National Paralysis Resource Center, along with other cuts to vital programs serving people living with disabilities. His leadership will be critically focused on the survival of these essential programs.”

For more than 20 years, the NPRC has earned bipartisan support for its work to help individuals and families find their footing after injury or diagnosis. From emergency rehab placement to housing adaptations, from peer mentoring to suicide prevention, it delivers life-changing and often lifesaving support to a growing community that includes people living with SCI, stroke survivors, and people living with ALS, MS, and many other conditions.

The Reeve Foundation believes that legislative, regulatory, and scientific advancements must be complemented by sensible public policy and advocacy. The Foundation’s advocacy programs are designed to not only help individuals advocate for themselves but also advance important issues for the greater community of individuals living with disabilities.

Gillums brings to the Foundation deep experience leading federal policy initiatives to support the disability and veterans’ communities. Prior to joining the Reeve Foundation, he served as FEMA’s disability coordinator and the director of its Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC). In this role, he helped direct emergency management for people with disabilities, including older adults and others with access and functional needs. Before joining FEMA, Gillums led strategic operations for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and served as executive director of Paralyzed Veterans of America and chief strategy and advocacy officer for AMVETS.

In these roles as one of the most influential voices on military and veteran issues, he testified before Congress, appeared on national networks such as CNN, Fox News, and C-SPAN, and regularly appeared in The Hill, Military Times and other national publications. He was also recognized by HillVets as among the 100 most influential voices on Capitol Hill in 2016 and personally recognized by The White House for noteworthy “service to our nation and the Secretary of Veteran Affairs for “exceptional leadership.”

A United States veteran, Gillums joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17 and served for 12 years before medically retiring at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 2. He holds a graduate degree from the University of San Diego School of Business, where he was inducted into its hall of honor. Gillums completed his executive education at Harvard Business School, and he earned his doctoral degree in education at the University of Dayton in 2024.

“While I am new to the Reeve Foundation, I’m well familiar with the Foundation’s mission. From spinal cord injury research to support for caregivers to ensuring quality healthcare, my recovery and success in becoming a productive member of society after suffering injury reflects the vision laid out by Christopher and Dana Reeve,” said Gillums. “I now enjoy the privilege of paying it forward through the policy and advocacy work my team and I will undertake that will be critical to making limits imposed by disability a thing of the past.”

Learn more about the Foundation’s public policy priorities.

About the Reeve Foundation

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. Additionally, through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the Reeve Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) promotes the health, well-being, and independence of people living with paralysis, providing comprehensive information, resources, and referral services assisting over 125,000 individuals and families since its launch in 2002. The Reeve Foundation is committed to elevating our community’s voices and needs to achieve greater representation and independence. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. For more information, please visit ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.

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