Abeer Sikder, JD and Dexter Horne, MPA join The Ricochet Effect to discuss developing new and innovative leaders through New Leaders Council Kentucky and Equal Access Public Media. Abeer Sikder, JD is a Senior Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments (CSG) where he conducts research and analysis as part of the Education and Workforce Team. He works on the Education and Workforce Development Team and analyzes policies that support disability, inclusion and employment for youth and young adults. He leads research projects on justice-involved youth, mental health equity, and intersectionality. Sikder is a proud Kentuckian currently serving as finance/advancement co-chair for New Leaders Council Kentucky, a Disability, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Community Advisory Board Member for WUKY-FM, and a member of the Access Lexington Commission. Sikder earned a J.D. from George Washington University Law School, where he did pro bono work for the Innocence Project, the Family Law Project, and Equal Justice Works and he also earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Louisville.
Dexter Horne, MPA is a Leadership Development Specialist at The Council of State Governments (CSG). Horne has a worked as a research analyst as the Council of State Governments, where he provides support to ongoing projects in the realm of disability employment and workforce development across the three branches of government in all 50 states and six territories. This included conducting or assisting with data analysis, developing and conducting national scans of state policy, responding to research inquiries from state officials, writing research-based policy briefs and research reports for policymakers and convening key stakeholders to provide consultation and share best practices. Horne graduated from the University of Kentucky Martin School of Public Policy and Administration with a Master of Public Administration - MPA in Public Policy Analysis and Centre College with a Bachelor of Arts - BA in Political Science and Government.
The objective of New Leaders Council Kentucky is to provide inclusive leadership development program equipping bright individuals with the skills, network, and confidence they need to champion progress. For more information about the program please visit newleaderscouncil.org.
The goal of Equal Access Public Media is to create accessible news and jobs in journalism for people with disabilities. For more information please visit equalaccesspublicmedia.org.
