Rockville, Virginia (June 7, 2021) – Global Nonprofit Organization Billion Strong introduces three new hires and the Chairman and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.

On the heels of last week’s announcement of Dr. LaMondre Pough stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Billion Strong, several new hires round out the beginnings of their small but mighty team. Sonja Thompson has accepted the position of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO); Rosemary Musachio will be Director of Global Outreach; and Jasmin Ambiong is the Partnership Development Manager, APAC.

Sonja (Soni) Thompson was previously a Senior Editor for CBS Interactive and a Senior PR Manager/Senior Strategist for Huawei Technologies USA, with over 20 years’ experience in content strategy and creation, as well as community building and engagement. She has a lived experience at the intersection of the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities, which she believes will provide value as CMO. According to Thompson, “This organization is doing some really important work, and my team is incredible. We are, indeed, stronger together.”

Rosemary Musachio was previously an electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessibility analyst and Chief Accessibility Officer (COA) for Ruh Global IMPACT, and she currently still provides accessibility consulting services for a California law firm. Having developed cerebral palsy at birth due to brain damage has not slowed down Musachio’s ambitions. She’s a writer, world traveler, and passionate about helping PWDs like herself get their voices heard in her new role as Director of Global Outreach. “Billion Strong will be booming, and I’m excited to help the boom become as loud as possible.”

Jasmin Ambiong worked in the telework industry for several years as a tutor, virtual assistant, and usability tester, and more recently was a transcriptionist and social media coordinator for Ruh Global IMPACT. At a young age, she developed Retinoblastoma and lost her eyesight, but her vision as Partnership Development Manager, APAC, is to create and foster meaningful and long-lasting partnerships with different PWD organizations in Asia for Billion Strong. “This is more than just a job for me. It’s my passion, my dream come true.”

“Billion Strong is a community by and for people with disabilities. We are going to show the world what we can do when we work together. Right now, this is a very small team, but we are passionate, dedicated, and bring our experience to the table every day to help amplify our efforts to make the world a better place for the over 1.3 billion people with disabilities on the planet,” said CEO Dr. LaMondre Pough. “As we grow, we will be looking to fill more positions, all around the world. In the meantime, we welcome volunteers to help build momentum and make this movement a reality.”

Billion Strong has also elected two of its Co-Founders as Chairman and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, Debra Ruh and Richard Streitz, respectively. Debra Ruh is a global influencer, known around the world as a longtime advocate for disability, inclusion, and accessibility. She is also the CEO and Founder of Ruh Global IMPACT, a company that helps organizations with disability inclusion programs and strategies. Richard Streitz also has decades of experience working with accessibility. His role as COO of Ruh Global IMPACT has provided him with a lot of experience with domestic and international operations, which will be invaluable in his role on the board.

According to Debra Ruh, “Billion Strong is going to change so many people’s lives! Ruh Global IMPACT is very excited to be the first vendor of Billion Strong, but we know that there are many other companies, partners, and sponsors that will join this movement and help it grow. Richard and I are thrilled to be on the board of directors. It’s such an honor.”

About Billion Strong

Billion Strong is an identity and empowerment organization designed to bring the billions of voices of persons with disabilities together. It is a global community of persons with lived experiences of disabilities that also celebrates its allies and accomplices. Billion Strong will embrace and support the global community, which includes entrepreneurs with disabilities and other diverse groups, with professional development, training, mentoring, coaching, education, and programs to assure that employers know how to find qualified candidates with disabilities all over the world. To learn more about Billion Strong and how you can get involved, visit the website (www.billion-strong.org).

About Ruh Global IMPACT

Ruh Global IMPACT is a multi-faceted disability inclusion firm with global clients in all levels of industry and government. In all its doings, Ruh Global IMPACT aims to show the transformative power and financial benefits of disability inclusion. Ruh Global’s website (www.ruhglobal.com) contains more information.