Bartholomew N. Devon, Ed.M, MELP, Esq. serves as the inaugural Executive Director of the Alliance for Expanding America’s Workforce (AEAW), a leading advocacy organization dedicated to increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities. A tireless advocate for the disabled community, Bart has been working across levels of government and content areas for years, bringing an intersectional perspective, knowledge base, and skillset to AEAW.
Bart began his career as an educator, teaching middle school outside Boston. Working in the classroom every day taught Bart how complex – and systemic – the issues around support for individuals with disabilities really are. It also taught him just how much he had yet to learn, compelling him to study the law.
While attending law school at Vermont Law and Graduate School, Bart specifically sought out experiential opportunities in legislative interpretation and drafting, serving first as a Legislative Liaison in the Office of General Counsel for the Agency of Education and subsequently as a Law Clerk at the Vermont Legislature Office of Legislative Council itself. After completing his legal studies, Bart attended Harvard University, where he earned a master’s degree in Education Policy and Management.
After gaining experience volunteering as a helpline advocate at Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Bart relocated to Washington, D.C. and pursued a career in legislative advocacy, first as Manager of Public Policy at Autism Speaks, where he oversaw the organization’s federal education, employment, and transportation portfolios, and subsequently at the National Down Syndrome Society, first as Senior Director of Education Programs, then as Senior Director of Public Policy, where he directed the organization’s entire advocacy apparatus.
After relocating to Richmond, Virginia during the pandemic, Bart had the opportunity to join Eggleston, an AbilityOne nonprofit agency, and build its policy and advocacy platform from the ground up. As Senior Director of Government Relations, he helped steer the organization towards consistent practices rooted in a disability justice framework. During the 2024 Virginia General Assembly, Bart was instrumental in the drafting, development, and enactment of a law directing the Commonwealth to develop and present an inclusive housing plan for all people with disabilities, accounting specifically for supply, cost, access to services, community education, and meaningful regulatory reform, and codifying “inclusive housing” in Virginia Law for the first time.
Outside of work, Bart enjoys many hobbies, especially woodworking and photography, modifying wristwatches, getting outside, and spending time with his wife Jenna, his son Elijah, and his two lazy dogs, Emma and JJ.
