Press Release: Aimee Wehmeier Joins Starkloff Disability Institute As Inaugural Chief Development Officer 

St. Louis, MO – January 6, 2025 – Starkloff Disability Institute (SDI) today announced that Aimee Wehmeier has joined the team as the organization’s inaugural Chief Development Officer. In this new role, Wehmeier will lead SDI’s fundraising, events, and donor stewardship initiatives, working closely with the executive team to advance Starkloff Disability Institute’s mission and impact. 

Wehmeier brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience and expertise to this role in addition to her lived experience as a successful professional with a disability. Prior to joining Starkloff Disability Institute, Wehmeier led Paraquad, one of the nation’s pioneering grassroots Centers for Independent Living, for over a decade, first as CEO and then President. SDI and Paraquad share roots in the Disability Rights Movement and have long supported one another’s work and shared vision for the future.  

“Starkloff Disability Institute is in an exciting phase of growth, and Aimee Wehmeier is precisely the type of accomplished leader we need to move us forward and meet the opportunities ahead,” said Steve Degnan, Board Chair of Starkloff Disability Institute. “Aimee brings not only deep expertise and a proven record in strategic development but also a true passion for building inclusion.” 

“I am thrilled to welcome Aimee to our team,” said Lori Becker, CEO of Starkloff Disability Institute. “Her dedication to building lasting donor relationships and her deep roots in the disability community make her uniquely positioned to take our fundraising, events, and donor stewardship efforts to the next level. I am confident that Aimee’s leadership will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission and amplifying the impact of SDI’s work.”  

“Creating opportunities for people with disabilities to live their best lives has always been my purpose,” said Wehmeier. “Starkloff Disability Institute is doing innovative work locally and nationally to move the needle on disability inclusion. Joining the team during this period of exponential growth is both an honor and significant opportunity. I look forward to collaborating with our stakeholders to drive this momentum forward, empowering disabled people to thrive in the workplace and beyond.” 

Wehmeier earned a Bachelor of Educational Studies from the University of Missouri and an MBA from William Woods University. She serves on the Missouri Foundation for Health Board of Directors, Gathering UMC Executive Leadership Team, United Way Women’s Leadership Society, and the Washington University Occupational Therapy and MO Better Foundation Advisory Boards. Wehmeier was recognized in the 2015 Class of Diverse Business Leaders and 2018 Class of Most Influential Business Women by the St. Louis Business Journal.   

Wehmeier’s hiring underscores the success, expansion, and impact of Starkloff Disability Institute’s work. After celebrating the organization’s 20th anniversary in 2023, SDI reached several new milestones in the past year, including: 

• Awarded $2 million in funding by MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving through an open call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources. 

• Added staff as the demand for SDI’s programs, both at the individual and systems levels, continued to grow rapidly. New roles to boost services included Director of Programs and Universal Design Program Coordinator. 

• Procured two wheelchair-accessible vehicles to eliminate transportation barriers for program participants. 

Starkloff Disability Institute has a record of success of closing the employment gap for disabled professionals through career exploration and development programs beginning in middle school combined with employer and community education. Its achievements were most recently honored with the prestigious Frank Harkin Memorial Award at the 2024 National Council on Independent Living Conference. 

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Contact: Maggie Mahoney
mmahoney@starkloff.org

About Starkloff Disability Institute 

Starkloff Disability Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in St. Louis, Missouri that builds inclusion where we live, learn, work, and play through disability-led programs that advance economic opportunity and transform lives. SDI was founded in 2003 by disability rights pioneers Max and Colleen Starkloff. To end exclusion and poverty we work on both sides of the problem: preparing disabled youth and adults to be competitive in the workforce and educating companies and communities to be disability welcoming. To learn more about our work to help disabled people thrive, visit starkloff.org.