Meet The Team: Board of Directors

Lila Zucker (she/her) is a queer, disabled organizer, trainer, storyteller and movement builder. Currently she works as a speaker, makeup artist and costumer in New Orleans. Her previous roles brought together nearly 20 years of professional experience building solidarity across intersectional movements in labor, voting rights and social justice spaces. Fighting for disability justice, joy and our collective liberation are at the heart of Lila's work. She works to create anti-ableist cultures within organizations & movement spaces through trainings, consulting and creating spaces for disabled organizers to thrive in. Lila navigates the world with multiple dynamic physical disabilities, a lifetime of internalized ableism that is slowly fading into the background and a healthy amount of rage at systems that cause so much harm and yet are functioning exactly as they were intended. 

Daniel Marks (they/he) is a Black queer, late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD campaign strategist and movement builder with over a decade of experience leading multi-state advocacy, digital organizing, and grassroots mobilization. Their work advances racial, gender, economic, and disability justice through integrated campaigns that center community power.

Daniel has directed rapid-response and legislative campaigns across c3, c4, and PAC programs with organizations including the ACLU and Color Of Change—mobilizing millions through digital strategy, volunteer infrastructure, and narrative-driven organizing. They specialize in cross-departmental campaign execution, scaling distributed teams, and developing culturally resonant strategies that uplift LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and disabled communities.

Rooted in values of equity, care, and collective liberation, Daniel is passionate about building intersectional, accessible, and transformative movements.

Mary Fashik (she/her) is a Disability Justice activist, author, podcaster, and founder of Upgrade Accessibility. As a disabled/chronically ill Lebanese woman with Palestinian ancestry, Mary brings authenticity and intentionality to her work, advocating for inclusion and equity at the intersections of race, disability, and gender.

An inductee into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame and a three-time award-winning podcaster, Mary uses her voice and lived experiences to challenge narratives and dismantle barriers for disabled communities, especially disabled people of color. Her debut children’s book, Adventurous Adeline and the Back to School Party, introduces young readers to disability representation in a fun and empowering way, reflecting her commitment to fostering inclusion from an early age.

With her background as a retired educator and her passion for reshaping narratives, Mary is also a thought leader and consultant, ensuring that cross-movement organizing remains intentional and accessible for the disability community. 

Julien Salerno Drake (they/them) is a queer, trans/nonbinary, neurodivergent person living in Oviedo, FL. Julien is committed to centering the voices of disabled and neurodivergent people while building community spaces grounded in care, accessibility, and disability justice. Julien enjoys reading, nature walks, video games, playing ukulele, gardening, yoga, and spending time with their animal companions and spouse. They’re also a part-time student majoring in sociology and a small business owner. 

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Itiba became a climate migrant at the young age of 11 when they were relocated to Central Florida post hurricane George. Itiba has been a  diasporic community organizer since the age of 16, becoming a bridge between Puerto Rico and the Central Florida diaspora. Further on Itiba has been active in holistic methods of mental health advocacy since the age of 20. She has dedicated time to understanding decolonization in the mental health services world focusing their work on antifatphobia and peer supporting. Additionally they have dedicated time to holistic healing advocacy. During the recent years, Itiba has supported the youth in Osceola county and Central Florida since becoming  Osceola Youth Alliance’s engagement coordinator. In this sphere he has curated safe space events for Osceola’s youth. Itiba is also a Masters in Non Profit management and a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist. 

Maddie Crowley (she/they) is a storyteller, writer, listener, marketer, blogger, learner, podcaster, and lover. Maddie currently works as Disability Rights Florida’s Social Media and Content Specialist. As a multiply disabled person, Maddie brings authenticity and intentionality to their work in the disability rights space. Maddie also has personal advocacy accounts under the name 'ur fav disabled gal' where they share their lived experiences and resources with others. They graduated from the University of Florida in December of 2021 with two degrees in Linguistics and Education Sciences and a minor in Disability Studies. Maddie has worked in social media marketing for over 6 years and in advocacy for much longer. Having taught themselves most of what they know, they are invigorated and excited to help others achieve their goals through community learning. Maddie is a firm believer and advocate for disability justice, access, and liberation of disabled folks and holds a Black disabled feminist frame in the work they do. They have done community organizing for nearly a decade and hold disability and accessibility consultant roles to ensure that cross-movement organizing remains intentional and accessible for the disability community.

Loren Lachner (she/her) is a disabled + neurodivergent person in San Francisco, California, USA. She is proud to be on Basically Wonderful's first Board of Directors and volunteers where needed. She originally came upon the organization by first attending the Disability (Is Not A Bad Word) space during her chronic illness and pain journey. This space helped her immensely with her healing journey by introducing her to a beautiful community where she could share her lived experiences and connect with others. Loren also volunteers for a non-profit called SAVE as an Advocate for domestic violence survivors. She helps survivors understand their options, provides emotional counsel, helps them navigate the legal system, provides resources and referrals, prepares them for their hearings, accompanies them to their hearings, and provides post-follow-up support. She has received 110 hours of DV Advocacy training with two certifications. Before her disabilities, she worked in the tech industry with over 8+ years of experience, including Program/Project Management, Release/Incident management, IT, Compliance & Information Security, SCRUM & Agile development, and QA Assurance. She has detailed experience helping companies scale from start-up to midsize level. Loren has spent many years navigating Federal, State (CA), and local (Bay Area) benefits programs, with solid knowledge of Cal-Fresh, Medi-Cal, Medicare, CA-State Disability, and Social Security benefits. She strongly believes in creating and providing disability-centric resources and helping others through their unique journeys so they don't have to go through it alone. She is dedicated to sharing her story and learnings with others and advocating for her peers, whether disabled or just needing support. Loren is vegan, has two cats (Bromeo & Bruno), loves reading, and writes haikus! When she is feeling well, she loves to dance (specifically a dance style called shuffling)! She is also known for wearing cat ears. Meow!