Joni Thomas, BA, President and Founder
Joni founded Tectonic Change after retiring, following 35 years of work in banking, a Center for Independent Living, the State of Nebraska's Medicaid program, and managed care. She has lived with a disability since early childhood and brings that experience, along with her deep knowledge of long-term services and supports and Olmstead policy, to everything Tectonic Change does. Joni testifies at the Nebraska Legislature and holds a bachelor's degree in theater arts. She lives in Lincoln.
Tobias Orr, MA, Treasurer
Tobias Orr serves as the Director of the Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership (ATP), Nebraska's designated Assistive Technology Act program. In this role, he leads statewide efforts to ensure individuals of all ages and disability types can learn about, access, and benefit from assistive technology. Through ATP's diverse programs, Nebraskans receive essential adaptive equipment as well as home and vehicle accessibility modifications that support independence, inclusion, and greater community participation.
Tobias also serves as Chair of the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP), representing state assistive technology programs at the national level. Since beginning his career in the disability field in the early 2000s, he has worked across a wide range of settings and developed extensive experience supporting people with diverse disability-related needs.
In addition to his professional leadership roles, Tobias serves on the Board of Directors for Tectonic Change, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking down myths and misconceptions between the disability and non-disabled communities. Throughout his career, he has been passionate about fostering greater understanding of disability through education, lived experience, and authentic dialogue. He believes meaningful change happens when people with and without disabilities come together to learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and build stronger, more inclusive communities. His work centers on creating opportunities for greater access, understanding, and collaboration, helping ensure disability is recognized as a natural part of human diversity and that all people have the opportunity to participate fully and thrive.
He also joined the Tectonic Change board because Joni asked him.
Paula Stapleton, Secretary
Registered nurse and Vice President of Community Health at Nebraska Total Care. [Full bio coming soon]
Timothy L. Ganser, Board Member
Timothy L. Ganser is an executive leader with more than 30 years of experience across performing arts, film, and entertainment research. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Nebraska Repertory Theatre and Director of Operations and Engagement at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he oversaw a $4 to $5 million operations budget, secured more than $750,000 in grants, and produced technology-forward work with national reach.
Earlier in his career, Tim was Vice President of International at Nielsen EDI, where he grew the company's global box office reporting network from ten to twenty-three markets, and Senior Vice President of Research and Data Analytics at Audience Entertainment. He has also held faculty appointments at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and California State University, Northridge.
Tim joined the Tectonic Change board in 2024. He believes every person deserves equal access to opportunity, to community, and to the stories a society tells about itself. Having spent his career helping audiences connect with storytelling, he is committed to removing barriers so that everyone has a place in the room.
Maureen Duncan, PhD, Board Member
Doctorate in occupational therapy. [Full bio coming soon]
Michael G. Skoch, MD, MMM CPE, Board Member
Mike has 35 years of clinical experience in Family Medicine and Obstetrics, Emergency Medicine, and Hospital Medicine, plus Medicaid administrative leadership in Kansas and Nebraska.
After studying medicine in Wichita, Mike and his wife, Ginny, raised seven children in Hastings, Nebraska, where they lived for 30 years. In November 2020, they returned to the Kansas City, Kansas, area, now home to five of their adult children and sixteen of their twenty-two grandchildren.
Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and an MD from the University of Kansas, and a master’s in medical management from USC’s Marshall School of Business. He is also certified in Health Care Ethics by the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
His interests include writing, classical and sacred music, genealogy, and family. He is an accomplished church organist.
His first book, Have You Seen Grandma’s Bra?, was published in November 2025. His second, Dead Serious, co-authored with his son Ben, a palliative care physician, followed in September 2026.
Alana Schriver, MPH (Master of Public Health), Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Board Member
Here is a bio (you can edit for length or whatever you feel needs editing!):
Alana Schriver's commitment to disability rights and community-based services is both professional and personal. As the mother of a high school-aged son with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receives home and community-based services, Alana understands firsthand the importance of access to meaningful supports, opportunities for independence, and the ability for every individual to live a life of their choosing.
Alana is the co-owner of Knyaw Poe Care for All, an agency providing in-home services and supports via Nebraska’s Aged & Disabled Medicaid Waiver. She recently stepped down from her role as Executive Director of the Nebraska Association of Service Providers, where she had the privilege of serving for five years. In that role, she worked alongside providers, families, and advocates to strengthen Nebraska’s home and community-based services system and advance policies that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Alana is an active member of the Munroe Meyer Institute Community Advisory Board. Her additional nonprofit and community leadership experience includes serving two years as president of Restoring Dignity, six years as an officer of the Omaha Refugee Task Force, three years on the Douglas County Health Equity Committee, and three years on the advisory board of Cornerstone Nonprofit Healthcare.
Alana believes deeply in the vision of Tectonic Change and its commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable world for people with disabilities. She is excited to contribute her lived experience, professional knowledge, and passion for advocacy to support Tectonic Change’s mission and help advance meaningful, lasting change for individuals with disabilities and their families.
Beth Libra, Board Member
[Full bio coming soon]
Lisa Lavalette, Board Member
Degree in education with a focus on special education. [Full bio coming soon]
Many of us have lived experience with various disabilities and have received services from community and state providers.