USU grads honored for distinctive careers

Reprinted with permission of
The Herald Journal

By Herald Journal staff report

Published:

Two disabled brothers who had prestigious careers in national policy have received the 2009 Trainee of the Year award from Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Troy and Tracy Justesen both held numerous positions in Washington, D.C. after graduating from USU.

After earning his master’s, Tracy completed two law degrees from Drake and George Washington universities.

He was president and CEO of the nation’s largest independent living center and joined the U.S. Department of Education as a career program specialist. Also in D.C., he worked in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, chaired the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board and was associate director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

A USU bachelor’s and master’s degree graduate, Troy is now a vice president at Salt Lake Community College.

After leaving USU, he earned a doctorate in higher education policy from Vanderbilt. He worked as an investigator enforcing civil rights laws for the U.S. Department of Justice and as the associate director for domestic policy at the White House. His brother held the same position two years before.

His other job titles include deputy commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, acting deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, and acting commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Troy’s experience led him to say that people with disabilities are an underused resource.

“I know there are many jobs that I could have had if I didn’t have a disability,” he said. “I think a lot of people with disabilities are written off because of their disability.”