Dr. Veronica Kang is grateful to collaborate with autistic youth/families through the PROMISE program co-led by Kate Lu/Ariel La (CCACC Health Center); early intervention providers to promote culture/disability affirming practices with Megan Fleury (Prince George's County Infants and Toddlers Program); and cultural navigators for disability advocacy/policy with UMD students/Lisa Lorraine (Maryland Equity Coalition for People with Disabilities). Veronica thanks her students, Imdad Baloch/Nay Thura/Lindsay Miller for research/analysis support; UMD CEAC Lena Scott/Courtney Holder/Tania Mitchell for their leadership and nomination.

This award is in recognition of Dr. Kang's exemplary leadership in advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through deeply engaged teaching, research, and community collaboration at the University of Maryland. Through initiatives such as EMBRACE-MD, UNITE, and ADAPT, Dr. Kang has built sustained partnerships that center community voice, celebrate neurodiversity, and expand advocacy for individuals with disabilities across Maryland. Dr. Kang's integration of these values into both her classroom and her research demonstrates a rare and powerful synthesis of scholarship and service—one that empowers students to become equity-minded leaders and changemakers. Dr. Kang's work reflects the essence of the JEDI-CCE Award: transforming systems through collaboration, compassion, and the unwavering pursuit of inclusion and belonging for all.