Teresa Shea Booher joined the National Institutes of Health, Center for Information Technology (CIT), as a Relationship Manager in February 2011. In January 2016, she accepted a position in the NIH Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) as an IT Specialist where she currently focuses on IT Strategy, Policy and Special Projects in support of the CIO. Recent projects include: serving as the NIH lead on the Integrated Project Team responsible for the re-write of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) IT Strategic Plan and the HHS Federal Information Technology Reform Act (FITARA) Integrated Project Team as well as the NIH FITARA Working Group and Implementation Team.

Between joining NIH in 2011 and January 2016, when she assumed her current role, Teresa was recruited for two detail opportunities. The first began in November 2012, as a member of the OCIO Section 508 Program Team and Special Projects Lead. During this three year detail, Teresa led multiple working groups focused on identifying and prioritizing opportunities to improve accessibility across NIH. In May 2014, Teresa accepted a five-month detail opportunity at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Office of Information Technology (OIT) as an Intrapreneur where she focused on facilitating IT solutions to complex problems for the Office of the Chairman (OCH) and the Office of the Managing Director (OMD). In addition to her work as an Intrapreneur, Teresa initated and led a group dedicated to making recommendations on improving the accessibility of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) throughout the Commission. These recommendations were presented to the FCC Chairman for consideration.

In addition to her role in OCIO, Teresa has shared her personal story and experience as a blind professional to raise awareness, create opportunities for discussion, and promote solutions for the blind/low-vision community at NIH. Her work in the disabilities arena began by spearheading an independent blind/low-vision resource sharing group, the 3 Blind Mice. The group consists of blind, low-vision, and sighted members of the NIH community. In the first two years, the group grew from 3 to 80 members and continues to play an active role within NIH holding monthly meetings, awareness events, and serving as a resource and partner to various groups and individuals across NIH.

Teresa has been a featured speaker on Section 508/accessibility to a range of audiences at NIH and across government; including delivering the keynote address at the 2011 NIH Disability Awareness Event, More Than Words and as a featured lightning-round speaker at the 2012 Next Generation of Government Leaders Summit. Since 2012 she has served as an active member of the NIH Disability Engagement Committee and participated on a committee responsible for the redesign of the Jobs@NIH; Job Seekers with Disabilities website. She also served on the Next Generation of Government Advisory Board as an active member in 2013 and 2014.

Teresa has been recognized with various awards including: a 2012 CIT Directors Award, and a 2013 NIH Honor Award for her contributions to the success of the NIH Accessibility Testing Lab. Teresa is the sole recipient of the prestigious 2012 NIH Directors Harvey J. Bullock Award highlighting her efforts for equal opportunity and fairness in the workplace. Most recently, Teresa has been recognized with a 2016 OCIO Director’s Administrative Award of Merit for outstanding service to the NIH Institutes and Centers.”