I met Debra when she delivered a lecture on Universal Inclusion: A Social Entrepreneurial Perspective at WPI. I was inspired by hearing firsthand about her experience developing a socially responsible, yet profitable organizations that serve people with disabilities. At that time, I was still a student and reached out to share my interests and a recent experience at a start-up competition. We quickly engaged about the topics of social entrepreneurship and creating accessible, socially responsible, and profitable companies and products.

Since then, she has been serving as a compassionate and dedicated mentor to me. Debra has been the person who encourages me to believe in my dreams, stand by my values, and pursue my interests. Her caring and empathetic nature is one of her best qualities. She identifies with people whether they are from Bulgaria, the United States, or anywhere. Debra does not hesitate to extend a supportive hand, and she is always humble about her generosity and kindness. Her generous support helped me attend a Global Innovation Forum at the World Bank where I met with other social entrepreneurship enthusiasts and worked on a real social venture.

She truly believes - assuring people with disabilities have equal opportunities and are represented - is a good thing. I am confident that Debra will continue to contribute a great deal to the community worldwide and will continue to make an amazing impact on the people around her.

Debra is the most committed, passionate and loving person I have been associated with in my 38 years in business. Debra's work with people with disabilities is second to none. I have always been impressed with how she has taken a social issue and made it into a business impairative. People with disabilities are now being hired by businesses across the country and they are seeing the return on investment (ROI) these folks can make to their bottom lines. I give Debra a great deal of the credit for these changes in attitude by corporate America. Her greatest qualities are in being a good listener, knowing how to be an effective communicator, and a positive role model.