Summary

Katy Neas is the Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of the United States, a national nonprofit that advocates for and supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. She leads The Arc’s national office in Washington, DC and a network of 549 state and local chapters across the United States. She is a national leader on disability rights and inclusion, including how policy and public attitudes shape daily life for people with disabilities and families.

Expertise

Katy Neas is an expert in disability policy and special education systems, including IDEA and the ADA, and a national spokesperson on disability rights and inclusion in public life.

Career highlights

• Named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact (2024)
• Former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
• Former Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, American Physical Therapy Association
• Spent 23 years at the Easterseals national office, including leading government relations as Senior Vice President
• Former Associate Director, Association of University Centers on Disabilities
• Former Legislative Assistant to Senator Tom Harkin and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, working on the ADA and IDEA
• Past Chair, Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities

Education

Georgetown University

In the news

• MS NOW (June 2026): “Clear violation”: Disability groups ring alarm on RFK Jr.’s new special education role
• Teen Vogue (May 2026): Euphoria Season 3 Uses the R-Word in 4 Out of 5 Episodes So Far. It’s Making the Slur Feel Normal Again
• New York Times (Jan. 2026): The ‘R-Word’ Returns, Dismaying Those Who Fought to Oust It
• Associated Press (Oct. 2025): Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement
• Axios (Sept. 2025): “Heartbreaking” and “cruel”: Mothers decry Trump’s Tylenol-autism claims
• The Independent (May 2025): Uproar as disability rights protesters in wheelchairs dragged out of House Medicaid meeting: ‘You’re going to kill me!’
• CNN (Feb. 2025): Disabled Americans Fear Efforts to Roll Back Protections
• Washington Post (Nov. 2024): When disabled kids are left behind in school shooting drills

Featured: National Press Club Q&A series

Katy Neas is featured in a National Press Club Q&A series on disability inclusion in public life:

• A guide to interviewing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (May 2026)
• Elevating disability coverage beyond visual clichés (April 2026)
• Elevating disability coverage beyond outdated and harmful language (March 2026)

Download Katy Neas’s full bio (PDF)
LinkedIn: Katy Neas

Updated: July 2, 2026