Ms. Rouba, who has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, recently authored a book called Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, which was published by Scarecrow Press. For the past few years, she has written for numerous magazines and Web sites. In addition, she is co-producer of mobilewomen.org and a member of the site’s Advisory Committee.

 Presently, Ms. Rouba is working full-time for EAD & Associates, an emergency management consultancy. She is also a DAE with the Dept. of Homeland Security/FEMA Region II. In the past, she has handled emergency preparedness issues relating to special needs populations for the region. She is a member of the International Association for Emergency Manager’s Special Needs Committee, the Mercer County CERT for People with Disabilities, and an Emergency Preparedness Spokesperson for the Progressive Center for Independent Living. Previously, she sat on the NJ Special Needs Advisory Panel.

Recently, Ms. Rouba had the pleasure of working for Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein. She also worked for the Pennington Post as an editorial assistant, and she handled public relations projects for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton and Deutsch Communications Group in Princeton on a freelance basis.

Ms. Rouba is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She was also a member of the Event Media Committee for the Disability Pride & Power (Presidential) Inaugural Ball. Throughout her career, she has interviewed numerous notable personalities ranging from Duane Chapman (Dog the Bounty Hunter) to Elisabeth Hasselbeck (The View). In 2006, she was honored by New Jersey’s Department of Labor for her outstanding work ethic and success in the workplace as a local journalist and woman with a disability.

Ms. Rouba is a 2008 Governor’s Volunteerism Award recipient. In 2008, she was also named the first “Ag Femme” by Ag Apparel and a “Superstar” by CreakyJoints.org for her achievements. In 2009, she received a certificate of appreciation from the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund Commission for her advocacy.

 Ms. Rouba was recently appointed by the NJ Governor to serve on the Statewide Independent Living Council. She is also a member of both Project Freedom and Enable’s Board of Trustees as well as Hamilton Township’s Special Needs Commission and the Advisory Commission on the Status of Women. For several years, she has been the public relations chair for the Central New Jersey Kappa Delta Alumnae Association, and she previously held the position with the Kappa Delta Chapter Advisory Board at The College of New Jersey.

 In addition, Ms. Rouba is a member of the Arthritis National Research Foundation’s Board of Directors, which named their Kelly Award for Juvenile Arthritis Research after her. She also has been publicity chair and a key organizer of the Arthritis Foundation’s Mercer County Arthritis Walk for several years. At the 2007 Walk, Assemblywoman Greenstein presented Ms. Rouba with a proclamation recognizing her community service efforts and role as a journalist.

In the past, Ms. Rouba was publicity chair of the Trenton St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Scholarship Committee for several years. In 2007 and 2009, she served on the planning committee for the NJ Governor’s Conference on Employment for People with Disabilities (now called DiscoverAbility). From December 2006 through February 2008, Ms. Rouba held the title of Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey. She also served as state program coordinator.

 To date, Ms. Rouba has been featured in numerous publications and television programs, from ABC’s Perspective New Jersey to the Wall Street Journal. She was also introduced on Live With Regis & Kelly. In addition, she was featured in two commercials and has modeled for Ag Apparel and WheelieChix-Chic. Presently, Ms. Rouba is being filmed by Agency New Jersey for a documentary on juvenile arthritis. She also co-hosts and sits on the Board of the NJ-based television show Breaking Barriers.

Ms. Rouba earned her BA from The College of New Jersey in 2002, where she majored in Journalism/Professional Writing and minored in Communications.

Contact information:

Kelly Rouba

Phone: (609) 586-1566