Meet Our Team | Student Disability Center | Colorado State University

Justin Dove

Director
Pronouns: he/him/his

Justin became director of the SDC in December 2020, leaving his home state of Missouri for CSU. He has his master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Missouri State University. He began his professional career in the Disability Center at the University of Missouri as an exams coordinator and access advisor. After five years, he became director of the Disability Resource Center at his alma mater. Justin has been a competitive bowler for most of his life. He loves game shows, enjoys cooking, working out, and taking random road trips in his jeep.

Joe Tiner

Assistant Director for Access and Accommodations
Pronouns: he/him/his

Joe oversees all aspects of the accommodations process and supervises the Accommodations Specialists. Additionally, he provides training and consultation to faculty and staff to support the implementation of accommodations and enhance campus accessibility.

Joe is a disabled first-generation college graduate. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from CSU. During his time as a student Joe worked for the SDC where he found his passion for disability rights work. Prior to his current role, Joe worked as an Accommodations specialist. In addition to his work at the SDC, he has held a few different roles at CSU, including positions at the Assistive Technology Resource Center, Office of Support and Safety Assessment, and with the Student Success Initiatives. Outside of work Joe enjoys live music and theatre, baking, and spending time with his husband and friends.

Alisha Zmuda

Assistant Director for Operations and Programming
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Alisha oversees our operations team including our Administrative Assistant, Coordinator of Accessible Text Accommodations, and Senior Coordinator of Accessible Testing Accommodations and plans both campus and community programming to support disabled students at CSU. She actively engages incoming CSU students, current CSU students, faculty, staff, and the Fort Collins community to provide growth opportunities for outreach, education, and trainings that enhance the accessibility of CSU’s campus and build community for its disabled students.

Alisha has been with the Student Disability Center since 2015 and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from CSU. She has held a couple different roles in the office including Course Transcriber and Coordinator of Accessible Testing Accommodations. She is passionate about supporting disabled students and fostering experiences for learning and growth among students and colleagues. Alisha was diagnosed with a disability later in life. The later diagnosis process encouraged her work in the disability and accessibility field and changed her approach towards advocacy for disabled folx at CSU and in the community. Outside of work Alisha enjoys spending time with her partner and dog, creating art, being outside hiking paddle boarding and fishing, and reading as much as possible.

Vacant

Administrative Assistant

Alexandra Sanchez

Accommodation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Alexandra is a proud first-generation CSU alum, having graduxated with her B.A. in Political Science and minor in Legal Studies. While completing her undergraduate degree, Alexandra worked in disability services at Front Range Community College as an intake specialist, cultivating her knowledge about various academic barriers, accommodations, and the importance of promoting equity in and out of the classroom. In her free time, Alexandra enjoys reading a good book, baking sourdough bread, watching reality TV, or spending time with her dog.

Alison Shimoda

Accommodation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Alison grew up in Maryland but spent several summers in Colorado visiting family members over the years. In 2021, Alison moved from the East Coast to pursue a master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Denver which she completed in June of 2023. While completing her master’s, Alison worked in DU’s Student Disability Services and gained experience promoting disability advocacy and accessible learning in higher education. Outside of CSU, Alison continues to support destigmatizing mental health and emphasizing the intersections of identity as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). When not working, Alison loves to read a new book, watch documentaries, and spend time lounging with her cat, Juniper!

Annie Cunningham Stephens

Accommodation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Annie’s hometown is Fort Collins, but she left Colorado to explore Oregon and Kansas before returning back home in 2019. She has both her Undergraduate and Masters degrees from University of Kansas in Special Education, with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders. She spent the beginning of her career working in K-12 public education with Poudre School District but has found her passion serving students in higher education since 2022! In her free time, she enjoys fishing, reading, crafting, and spending time with her cats Tuna and Squid.

Bailey Mellott

Accommodation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Bailey is a first-generation college graduate who holds an MA in Sociology from CSU and has been part of the SDC team since 2023. Deeply committed to social and disability justice, Bailey aims to support students holistically through accommodation determination and individualized resource support. Bailey enjoys spending time with her 2 rescue dogs, kayaking on Horsetooth reservoir, cycling around town, and spending time with friends and family. Bailey moved from Virginia to Fort Collins after completing her undergraduate degree in Sociology, with minors in Psychology and Leadership Studies and is excited to be continue working to support our students and contribute to a culture of inclusion and transparency across the institution.

Elizabeth Pollack

Accommodations Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Elizabeth has been a part of CSU’s Student Disability Center (SDC) since 2022, but she began her professional career in higher education and disability in 2018. She has held positions in student success coaching, vocational rehabilitation services, and disability accommodation offices. Currently, she is wrapping up her master’s program of Learning Development and Training at Colorado State University – GO RAMS! Outside of work, you can find her paddle boarding, perusing antique stores, reading books in a hammock, and hosting friends and family for dinner parties.

Keara Howley

Accommodations Specialist

Pronoun: she/Her/her/hers

Keara was born and raised in Colorado and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2022. During her time at CU Boulder, she worked in University Housing and served as an ADA Liaison, where she supported housing accommodations and regulatory compliance. In early 2024, Keara joined Colorado State University’s Student Disability Center as an Accommodation Specialist, where she continues to support students while engaging with policy interpretation and equitable access practices within higher education. Outside of work, Keara enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, cooking, listening to music, and hiking with her dog.

Krissy Gilbert

Accommodation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Krissy has lived in Colorado most of her life. She is a CSU alumna, where she majored in Human Development and Family Studies, then went straight to graduate school at CU Denver for a Master’s in Special Education, while also getting her dual teaching licensure. She spent a decade working in K-12 public education before coming to CSU to help students at a postsecondary level. Aside from work, Krissy loves to be outside, cook with her partner, binge on Disney movies, create crafts/art, and cuddle on the couch with her daughter and dog.

Monica Oberstar

Accommodation Specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Originally from Maryland, Monica has made Fort Collins her home since 2007. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech Language Pathology and has focused her career on serving students as an SLP in K-12 education. Her dedication to supporting students with disabilities and promoting social justice initiatives prompted her transition to higher education. Monica is thrilled to be a part of the CSU team. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking in the mountains, swimming in the reservoir or river, reading, baking, crafting, and spending quality time with her husband and children.

John Fast

Manager of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services
Pronouns: he/him/his

John’s CSU and familial roots reach back to when his grandfather was Director of the CSU Research Foundation back in the 60’s and 70’s. Then again when his parents met as Resident Assistants, in the mid-70’s. He continued the Family Ram tradition when he attended CSU in the middle aughts. Having been co-captain of the Logging Sports Team and graduating with a Bachelors in Psychology, he then went on to become a nationally certified American Sign Language Interpreter and gained over a decade’s worth of experience in a myriad of roles in his field. That experience includes having been an ASL Interpreter at CSU for 7 years. John claims that he owes most of his professional and personal success in large part to his brilliant, strong, and humorous wife. John likes to spend his time outside of CSU with his wife and their two children, usually skipping rocks in the Poudre River.

Madi Steine

Coordinator of Accessible Text
Pronouns: they/them/theirs

Caroline Webb

Senior Coordinator for Accessible Testing Accommodations
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Caroline grew up in Austin, Texas but her family frequently visited Colorado. In 2014 she ended up attending CSU and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Realizing how much she loved being in Fort Collins, she decided to stick around and is now part of CSU’s sociology graduate program, where she studies green criminology and how it relates to disability. She originally joined the SDC as a student staff in 2016, where she discovered her passion for working in the field of disability and advocacy, particularly in the context of supporting disabled students in higher education. She served in a variety of roles over the years before joining the team professionally in 2022. Aside from work, Caroline loves visiting her family, spending time with her partner, finding new documentaries to watch, and playing with her endlessly entertaining dog and two cats

Justin Solum

Accessible Testing Center Support Staff
Pronouns: he/him/his