Heather Sachs is the Policy & Advocacy Co-Director for the National Down Syndrome Congress. She works with members of Congress and their staff, federal agencies, other national disability and civil rights organizations, and state and local advocates to educate them about policy issues that impact the civil rights and quality of life of individuals with Down syndrome. Residing Maryland (Washington DC metropolitan area) with her spouse, Heather is the proud parent of three children, one of whom has Down syndrome.  

Prior to joining NDSC, Heather served as the Vice President of Advocacy & Public Policy for the National Down Syndrome Society and has over a decade of advocacy experience on the national, state and local levels. Heather is a founding member of the statewide Maryland Down syndrome Advocacy Coalition and a longtime member of the board of the Down Syndrome Network of Montgomery County, Inc. in Maryland. Appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in 2015, Heather served on the Maryland Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Task Force which laid the groundwork for establishing Maryland’s ABLE program. In 2018, Heather was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Maryland Daily Record. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and was featured for her disability advocacy work in Washington Lawyer magazine. Heather received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. In her free time, Heather enjoys hiking, gardening, and playing with her dogs.