As founding Executive Director of Independent Living, Inc., a disability services organization employing over 400 people and serving 8,000 annually, Mr. Hovey has long championed the cause of equal rights, access, and opportunity for persons with disabilities. He holds graduate degrees in Health Care Administration and Rehabilitation Administration from the New School for Social Research in New York and The University at San Francisco, respectively, and is professionally and personally familiar with the challenges faced by persons with disabilities.