David Rice

Branch Director, Special Emphasis Programs

David Rice graduated in 2009 from the Catholic University of America with a degree in Psychology, focusing on social stigmas of people with Intellectual Disabilities. He works at the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). During his first four years at EDI, he served as the Principal Strategist for People with Disabilities at NIH. He now serves as EDI's Branch Director for the Special Emphasis Portfolio branch.

Being Deaf since he was 4, he has a strong interest in Disability Community. His work within the disability community started as a sophomore in high school, where he worked summer camps for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. While in college, he was part of the first American Sign Language (ASL) program, where students lived in a dorm where hearing and Deaf students shared their desire to learn American Sign Langauge. He was also active in outreach efforts for people with disabilities at Catholic University Disability Center.

Additionally, David served as President of DIG (Deaf in Government) from 2014 to 2018. DIG empowers Deaf and Hard of Hearing Federal Employees to overcome communication barriers, resolve accessibility issues, and promote a fully inclusive work environment through networking and fostering professional growth. Some of David's accomplishments are initiating a workforce complaint program, developing a training program that promotes career development in the federal government, establishing partnerships with different organizations, and creating networking and mentoring opportunities.

David is passionate about changing the cultural stigma placed on people with disabilities. His proudest achievement in changing the culture was by changing the NIH mission statement. Additionally led the DeafNIH Employee Resource Group at NIH for those who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing by working. Lastly, David spearheads an accessibility project to make the NIH a fully accessible environment for all people at NIH. In his spare time, David enjoys golf and all things Pittsburgh.