NCD Welcomes Matan Aryeh Koch

National Council on Disability Board Member Confirmed - Independent Federal Agency Welcomes Matan Aryeh Koch

Oct. 5, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council on Disability (NCD) – an independent federal agency that advises the President, Congress, and other federal agencies on the policies and programs that affect the lives of people with disabilities – is honored to welcome Matan Aryeh Koch to its Board. On July 5, President Barack Obama announced his intention to nominate Litigation Associate Matan A. Koch to the National Council on Disability. Koch was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 26, 2011.

NCD’s Chairman Jonathan Young hailed Koch’s appointment by saying, “NCD’s Board is now even stronger with the addition of Matan Koch. From his pro bono work for parents seeking guardianship of adult children with disabilities to helping prepare a brief for a mental health nonprofit to the New York State Court of Appeals, Matan’s experience in both the legal and advocacy arenas bolsters the Council’s charge of ensuring equal opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for all Americans with disabilities.  We look forward to his participation.”

With the addition of Koch, the NCD Board now consists of: Jonathan Young, Gary Blumenthal, Chester Finn, Sara Gelser, Marylyn Howe, Janice Lehrer-Stein, Lonnie Moore, Ari Ne’eman, Dongwoo (“Joe”) Pak, Clyde Terry, Dr. Fernando Torres-Gill, Linda Wetters and Pam Young-Holmes.

Biography:
Matan Koch is an Associate at Kramer, Levin, Naftalis, & Frankel LLP, where he specializes in Commercial Litigation and Advertising. Born with cerebral palsy, Koch has extensive involvement in the disability community. He served as Vice Chairman of the New Haven Commission on Disabilities, where he chaired the Americans with Disabilities Act Subcommittee from 2001-2002. Koch currently serves on the Union for Reform Judaism-Department of Jewish Family Concerns’ Disability Task Force Special Needs Camping Committee. While working in the legal division of Procter & Gamble, he was active in P&G’s People with Disabilities Network. Mr. Koch served on the board of Jewish Vocational Services of Cincinnati. Koch began Yale at 16 years of age and became a lawyer, with a degree from Harvard Law, by age 23. He has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale where he was the President of the Student Disability Community.