Dr. Tonia D. Ferguson, Esq. - Interim Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Tonia D. Ferguson, Esq. joined the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) as Director of Legislative Affairs in 2022. A nationally respected policy leader and advocate, Dr. Ferguson brings more than a decade of advancing outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families across federal, state, and community systems while having lived experience herself being diagnosed with anxiety disorder and having a son with Down Syndrome and Autism.
A former Joseph P. Kennedy Fellow, Dr. Ferguson has held senior leadership roles at the intersection of health, disability, and public policy, including serving as Chief of Staff at the Maryland Department of Health and as Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy for the Autism Society of America. Her work is grounded in system transformation, coalition-building, and strategic policy advocacy that drives meaningful, sustainable change at the local, state, and federal levels.
At CSAVR, Dr. Ferguson provides staff leadership and strategic support to the LEAD (Lead, Engage, Access, and Development) Professional Network, the Policy Committee, and the Transition and Youth Committee—advancing inclusive workforce policy and strengthening the vocational rehabilitation system nationwide.
In recognition of her lifelong commitment to service, Dr. Ferguson received the 2023 Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest distinction of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, honoring individuals whose sustained service has made a profound impact on their communities. In 2025, she was further honored with the National Rehabilitation Association’s E.B. Whitten Award, recognizing exceptional leadership in dismantling environmental and legal barriers and combating discrimination against people with disabilities.
Dr. Ferguson earned her Honorary Doctorate in Christian and Business Leadership in late 2025. Her career reflects an unwavering dedication to justice, access, and opportunity—ensuring that disability policy is not only inclusive in principle, but transformative in practice.
Ginger Gould - Director of Finance
Ginger Gould joined the staff team at CSAVR in April 2026 as the new Director of Finance, Administration and Human Resources. Ginger brings over 3 decades of hands on senior level experience with a variety of nonprofit organizations such as National Parks Conservation Association, the Pew Charitable Trusts, Hunt Alternatives, African Wildlife Foundation, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs to name a few. She has expertise with both large scale complex international organizations as well as organizations with a lean staff structure and focused programmatic purpose. Ginger has successfully implemented financial systems conversions and integrations, structured and negotiated world class benefits portfolios and managed finance, administrative and contract and procurement teams.
Ginger is looking forward to working with the staff and leadership of the organization to learn about the world of vocational rehabilitation, to bolster the foundation that currently exists to support the work to assess current systems and practices, and to achieve efficiencies and enhance the resources that will make CSAVR successful in the coming years.
A native of the Washington DC area, Ginger resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and Biscuit the family cat, and she has three grown daughters of whom she is exceptionally proud. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening and inserting herself into the busy lives of her daughters.