Linda Mastandrea serves as the Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC). The office leads FEMA’s commitment to whole-community emergency management by integrating individuals with disabilities into all aspects of disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.
Ms. Mastandrea has spent the majority of her career as an attorney concentrating her practice in disability law and civil rights, representing people with disabilities who have experienced discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and government services and benefits. She has taught disability law, lectured on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability laws nationwide, and served as a special education hearing officer.
Ms. Mastandrea has built a reputation as a subject matter expert on inclusive emergency management practices. She has provided training, consultation and technical assistance to emergency managers around the nation and served as a Disability Integration Adviser Reservist with FEMA. She has presented at the National Homeland Security Conference, the Texas Homeland Security Conference, the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference, the Illinois Emergency Management Association Conference, and a NEMA webinar.
From 1990-1999, Ms. Mastandrea represented the United States seven times in wheelchair track in international competition, including two Paralympic Games, winning 15 gold and 5 silver medals. She set national, world and Paralympic records numerous times. Ms. Mastandrea is the first female Paralympian inducted into both the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Ms. Mastandrea served as Chairperson of the International Paralympic Committee Legal and Ethics Committee. Her book, Sports and the Physically Challenged: An Encyclopedia of People, Events and Organizations was published in 2006.
Ms. Mastandrea earned her BA from the University of Illinois and her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.