We Recognize IDRPP Employees for their Years of Service

We are proud to recognize the hard work and dedication of our IDRPP employees. Each of these employees have had outstanding years of service at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice at Utah State University. Their hard work and commitment have contributed to the success of our communities and their fellow employees. We are so grateful for their continued contributions to IDRPP. We recognize the following employees for their dedicated years of service: 

Mary Ellen Heiner

40 years of service. Mary Ellen is the Senior Coordinator of Projects, and has been working at IDRPP since July of 1984. She is also an instructor for the Interdisciplinary Disability Awareness and Community-Engaged Learning course. In addition, Mary Ellen serves as the coordinator for the National Information Reporting System (NIRS), which is essential to maintaining funding for IDRPP. 

Richard Jewkes

35 years of service. Richard is currently the Director of the Administration Division at IDRPP and oversees all the financial and administrative functions for the Institute. Richard graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. 

Marla Nef

20 years of service. Marla is currently the Program Coordinator for the Up to 3 Early Intervention program at IDRPP for over 20 years. Marla has a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education and a Master’s in Family and Human Development. Marla has served on the Uah ICC Finance Subcommittee, the Utah ICC Baby Watch State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) Compliance Workgroup, and the Family Engagement and Collaboration Workgroup. Marla also helped restart the CEC Division of Early Childhood (DEC) chapter in Utah and served as its president. 

Joy Gines

20 years of service. Joy currently works as a Business Assistant at IDRPP. Joy is responsible for reconciling travel, deposits, and employees' salaries and wages. Joy began working at IDRPP in April 2004.

Eduardo Ortiz

Eduardo Ortiz has 15+ years of dedicated service at the Institute of Disability Research, Policy, and Practice (IDRPP) and earned his Ph.D. from Utah State University in 2009. Currently, Eduardo serves as a Senior Researcher within the Research & Training (R & T) Division. He is also a Principal Investigator (PI) on several key projects, including the Multicultural Disability Network and Training (MULDINET) and Utah Children's ECHO (Cache Valley Site). Throughout his career, Eduardo has successfully led various state, federal, and international projects as a PI. In addition to his research, Eduardo is a core faculty member of the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND) program and continues to play a pivotal role as a senior researcher on numerous other IDRPP initiatives. 

Joan Liquin

10 years of service. Joan is the Program Coordinator for Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (URLEND). Joan graduated from Weber State University in Sociology and Anthropology.