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INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM September 3, 2026
TO: Klarissa J. Peña, President, City Council
FROM: Timothy M. Keller, Mayor
SUBJECT:
title
Mayor's appointment of Ms. Cody Unser to the Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory
Council
body
I am submitting for your advice and consent the following name for appointment to the
Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory Council in accordance with the City of Albuquerque
Ordinance 2-6-5-1; 2-6-5-5.
APPOINTEE NAME
TERM
Ms. Cody Unser
Albuquerque, 87105
October 30, 2029
Cody Unser was paralyzed at age 12 by Transverse Myelitis and, with her mother Shelley, founded The Cody Unser First Step Foundation to support research and improve quality of life for those affected by the disorder. Through the foundation's Cody's Great Scuba Adventures program, she pioneered adaptive scuba diving as a therapeutic tool for people with disabilities, work later featured in the documentary "Sea of Change," which examined its effects on a group of paralyzed veterans. That work led to her induction into the Women Divers Hall of Fame as its first member with a disability; she is also a PADI AmbassaDiver and a certified Christopher and Dana Reeve Peer Mentor. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Redlands, where she designed her own major in Biopolitics, and a master's in Public Health from George Washington University. She serves on the ASIA Outreach Committee, was appointed by New Mexico's Lieutenant Governor to the NM Statewide Independent Living Council, and writes as a patient advocate for US News and World Report, with a focus on health care for women with disabilities. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Cody is now a UNM PhD student in Medical Sociology, working to develop disability curriculum for medical schools nationwide.
A resident of District 3, Ms. Cody Unser will replace Ms. Carolyn A. Tanaka and serve as an Individual with a Disability Representat...
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