Wanda P. Felty serves as the Assistant Director and Community Leadership and Advocacy Coordinator at the Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). In addition, she is a Core Faculty Mentor for the Oklahoma Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (OK LEND) program. With over two decades of experience in family advocacy and systems change, Wanda has dedicated her career to enhancing services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Wanda’s educational journey began at East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas, followed by further studies at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. She completed the Partners in Policymaking program in 2001 and later joined the Oklahoma LEND program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2005. Her commitment to leadership development continued with her participation in the AUCD Leadership Academy in 2019 and earning a certificate from the Oklahoma Center for Mentoring Excellence in 2022.

Since May 2011, Wanda has been instrumental in coordinating community leadership and advocacy activities at the Center for Learning and Leadership. Her role involves providing technical assistance to leverage partnerships and the family perspective to drive systems change. She also facilitates the State DDS Agency’s Waiting List Meetings and oversees various administrative duties, including staff supervision, grant writing, project management, and budget oversight.

In her capacity as a Core Faculty Mentor for OK LEND, Wanda mentors trainees from the family discipline and provides cross-discipline mentoring to other trainees. She facilitates discussions on patient-family centered care, family-professional partnerships, communication methods, and the transition from pediatric to adult medical care. Wanda also develops and manages the Family Mentorship practicums, ensuring that trainees gain valuable hands-on experience.

Wanda is a respected speaker, having presented nationally and internationally on family-professional partnerships and the inclusion of lived experiences in education. Her leadership extends to various committees and advisory roles, including chairing the DDS’s Advisory Committee on Services to Persons with Developmental Disabilities and co-chairing the OHCA Member Advisory Task Force. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the OHCA Medical Advisory Committee.  Recognized as one of Oklahoma’s leading experts on state policy for individuals with developmental disabilities,