Throughout her career, Amber Cowart has held to the belief that relationships matter. Cowart was recently promoted to the Advocacy, Inclusion and Family Engagement Supervisor for Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS).
Prior to joining HCDDS as a service and support administrator in 2013, Cowart worked as a direct support professional and supervisor. “I learned what it really takes to support someone, and that it’s not just another participant, it’s ‘John’ and his family,” she said.
Her personal experiences also sparked a passion for inclusion and a desire to make a difference. Cowart became an HCDDS community navigator in 2019, then the agency’s advocacy coordinator in 2021.
Dawn Freudenberg, director of the Planning, Innovation, and Quality, said Cowart’s impact in her previous roles has been extraordinary. “Amber has consistently identified gaps, developed proposals, and brought these to life for the people we serve and their families,” Freudenberg said.
“She demonstrates a commitment to amplify voices of people with disabilities, and she’s supported new advocacy groups like Neighbors in Action, and a growing number of new advocacy efforts like Pen to Policy.”
Cowart is excited to step into this new role, build new connections and deepen relationships. She hopes to keep a similar blueprint for HCDDS’ advocacy, inclusion, and family engagement team (ALIFE), while also listening to families and people with disabilities to expand these initiatives.
“It means a lot that the people we support put their trust and faith in me—my cumulative work in the field brought me here,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being part of the direction we go as an agency and providing a different kind of support for my team members.”
