Staff

Lindsey Mullis, MS. PhD. ABD is the Inclusive Health & Wellness Director.  She has an educational background in psychology, exercise science, and health promotion with a certificate in developmental disabilities. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Education Sciences with a disability and sexuality focus. Ms. Mullis has over 15 years of experience working in the disability community. She has expertise in applying universal design strategies to health programs and services at local, national, and international levels that incorporate inclusive strategies for broader access. Ms. Mullis is also a certified Health Promotion Clinical Director for the Special Olympics and has served on the Special Olympics Inclusive Health Advisory Board. In her free time, she enjoys dance parties with her three daughters, Eva, Marcella and Caroline, and two sweet pitbull pups Nala and Kenobi. 

What is your favorite healthy snack?
I am given a hard time for eating healthy pretty much all the time so a better question would be what are my favorite sweet treat snacks and the answer is caramel apples and rice crispy treats. Which in reality, aren’t that unhealthy. I deserve the hard time I am given.

What does health/wellness mean to you?
Health is Happiness. When this health program first started, I created the tag line “Eat Well. Move More. Live Happy!” In the basic sense being healthy is exactly that. What we eat and the fuel we put in our bodies should be good so that we feel good. Movement and activity are essential to the health of our mind, body, and spirit. Living happy means to be mindful and present in the moment. Place value on our relationships, the memories we make, and our emotional and mental well-being. My mother used to say “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it is all small stuff.”

Kari is the Graphic Media & Production Manager. She has degrees in Graphic Design and Media Arts, as well as a certificate in Universal Design from the University of Kentucky. She has been with the Human Development Institute since 2013, working closely with Health & Wellness and Child Care Aware.
Kari’s job is to create videos and resources while keeping to Universal Design standards to ensure that all our products are accessible for everyone.

What is your favorite healthy snack?
Carrot sticks and hummus! I think I could munch on those every single day!

What does health/wellness mean to you?
A big part of being healthy is paying attention to what you eat and getting plenty of exercise, but another part is your mental and emotional health. If your mind and heart aren’t healthy, that will affect your life daily. I always

Morgan Turner is a Program Education Assistant at the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky. Mr. Turner is a strong self-advocate who has both cognitive and physical disabilities. He is an influential leader, expert peer educator, and the former host of Morgan’s Musings, a video series dedicated to supporting individuals to become leaders and self-advocates in their own unique way. He works full-time across multiple HDI projects focused on health, advocacy, leadership, and inclusive higher education and employment for people with disabilities. Morgan has co-facilitated several inclusive health promotion programs and over 75 trainings on Universal Design in health and disability inclusion for professionals, self-advocates, and community members. He is a graduate of Tates Creek High School and an athlete and athlete ambassador with Special Olympics. Mr. Turner was invited to participate in the national Special Olympics Inclusive Health Work Group.  In recognition of his hard work and leadership, Morgan was appointed to Kentucky’s Employment First Council by Governor Beshear. Recently Morgan was nominated to be the Vice Chair of the Employment First Council.

What is your favorite healthy snack?
Carrots, grapes

What does health/wellness mean to you?
Being someone with a disability its important for me to be healthy and active and I’m happy I have a job that is related to that

Austin Nugent is a Disability Program Administrator at the University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute. She coordinates several statewide efforts focused on multi-system change related to disability, access, and inclusion. In addition to the Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative, Austin works on My Choice Kentucky and RETAIN KY. Austin has a bachelor’s in sociology and disability studies from UCLA, and a graduate certificate in developmental disabilities. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Administration with a concentration in disability policy. Over the past ten years, Austin has held various roles at local, state, and national levels advocating for and implementing Universal Design and other best practices for inclusion and accessibility. She currently serves on the National Disability Rights Network’s Board of Directors, the Kentucky Protection and Advocacy’s Mental Health Advisory Council, and is the Advocacy Chair for the Center for Accessible Living’s Board of Directors. Her passion for disability justice stems from her own lived experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic migraines, and being the older sister to siblings with various support needs. This includes a biological brother with Down syndrome and two adopted brothers impacted by adverse childhood experiences. In her free time, she enjoys camping with her husband, attending concerts, and reading.

What is your favorite healthy snack?
Depending on my mood, either a berry, banana, and spinach smoothie or apple slices with peanut butter and unsweetened coconut flakes.

What does health/wellness mean to you?
I view health as the intersection of the various areas of our lives –mental, social, physical, environmental, vocational, and sexual. Health can be influenced by our relationships and communities, but everyone has a right to access, participate, and be self-determined in each domain.

Trent (he/him/his) works as a Disability & Health Program Facilitator with the Kentucky Inclusive Health Collaborative through the Human Development Institute. He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in English Literature and Film Studies. After graduating from WKU, Trent worked in both Day Treatment and Intensive Outpatient Therapy at CHNK Behavioral Health in Covington, KY; after moving to Lexington, Trent began work with Expressive and Wellness Programs of ES Inc. where he provided supports for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His research interests include relationships, generational trauma, trauma in marginalized populations, and accessibility to mental healthcare for individuals with disabilities.

What is your favorite healthy snack?
A post-workout vegan protein shake.

What does health/wellness mean to you?
What Lindsey said.