Our Team

Leslie graduated from Wellesley College in 2011 with a B.A. in Biological Chemistry. Towards the end of college she discovered a passion for public health. She hoped to pursue a dual medical and public health degree, but her struggles with mental health made that difficult. Putting that on pause, she interned with Partners in Health in Lima, Peru and volunteered for migrant farm worker health clinics in Connecticut. For the next several years, she worked with kids and adults as a vision therapist, eventually helping to start the largest pediatric vision therapy center in CT. 

In 2018, seeing the opportunity to use her language skills to advocate for others, she joined the Disability Policy Consortium as the Spanish-Bilingual Ombudsman for the My Ombudsman program. This work rekindled her passion for social justice and health equity, and now she proudly serves as Director of the program since October 2020. 

Leslie is orgullosamente Peruana and knows a little bit of Quechua thanks to her abuelita. When not working, Leslie loves to dance, start crafty projects but never finish them, and cuddle with her fiancé Russell and their dog Elvis.

Sabrina graduated with her Master’s degree in criminal justice from Southern New Hampshire University. She has always had a passion for helping people and making a positive difference in their lives. She began her career as a Family Case Worker working with parents and children to educate them on/help them with childhood development and healthy family dynamics. She then joined the My Ombudsman team in 2019 as the Lead Community Liaison before stepping into the role of Ombudsman and then her current role as Team Manager. When Sabrina is not working, she is running around and doing crafts with her energetic daughter!

Lori Siedman is the Director of Deaf Services at My Ombudsman. She is the first and only Deaf healthcare Ombudsman in the country. Lori was born Deaf and became legally blind at age 11. She received her Bachelor of Social Work at Salem State University. 

Before joining My Ombudsman, Lori worked at DEAF, Inc. for 13 years. This role connected her to the local, state, and national Deaf, Hard of Hearing, LateDeafened, and DeafBlind community, as well as organizations that work with the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, LateDeafened, and DeafBlind community. She also worked extensively with hearing-led organizations ranging from small nonprofits to large government agencies. Lori’s collaborative relationships with both Deaf and hearing-led organizations strengthen My Ombudsman’s ability to work efficiently within the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, LateDeafened, and DeafBlind community. She is familiar with challenges Deaf, Hard of Hearing, LateDeafened, and DeafBlind people face accessing healthcare and in everyday life, and she knows the many resources that are available to help.

In addition to her work at My Ombudsman, Lori is a member of the Massachusetts Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH)’s Statewide Advisory Council (SAC.)

If you are interested in training in ASL or Deaf Culture training, email Lori: lsiedman@myombudsman.org

Maggie has worked for the Disability Policy Consortium since July of 2014. Beginning as a Research Assistant, she researched and wrote reports on various disability-related topics including electronic monitoring of Personal Care Attendants. In her current position as Operations Coordinator with the My Ombudsman team, in addition to continuing to research disability-related topics, Maggie works with staff to enhance their organizational skills. She also conducts surveys with MassHealth health plan members to assess the My Ombudsman team’s effectiveness. Maggie very much enjoys promoting staff wellness and working to ensure that My Ombudsman team members feel appreciated and have access to the information and resources they need to succeed overall. Maggie’s favorite quote is: “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!”-Audrey Hepburn

Portuguese and Spanish speaker 

“It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope & optimism.” 

-Angela Davis

Candice is an active participant and change agent in multiple communities with varying passions and contributions. She is a creative thinker, practicing mentor, mobilizing advocate, and committed caretaker; ever grabbing the bull by the horns and making change shine. Joining the My Ombudsman team in 2019, she has worked directly with several community members with an open, attentive, linguistic, and listening mind.

Jess has been an Ombudsman on the My Ombudsman Team at the Disability Policy Consortium since March 2019. Prior to working at the DPC, she earned a Master’s Degree in Psychology at Boston University. A history of employment in the mental health and informal education fields greatly informs her work today, especially related to working with members and developing internal trainings. In her free time, Jess enjoys embroidery, vegetable gardening, and playing with her two cats Ichiban and Cole.  

Mary graduated from The University of Connecticut with a degree in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. During her time in school, Mary’s passions for activism and systemic equality grew immensely. Upon graduation, Mary knew she wanted a career that was focused on an authentic commitment to these values. 

Luckily, Mary found a job posting for a Community Liaison position with My Ombudsman while browsing the Disability Policy Consortium website. In this role, she can help people directly in the fight to access health care. 

Outside of work, Mary loves to cook, do yoga, listen to music, and read. She is also looking forward to (safely) traveling again sometime in the future.