Founding Voices: John Woodruff and the Institutional Power of Neurodiversity

At Fish in a Tree: Center for Neurodiversity Education, Advocacy, and Activism, we believe in building infrastructure that lasts. That means systems, not just stories, institutions, not just moments. And when we think about institutional power rooted in justice, access, and lived expertise, we think of John Woodruff.

John Woodruff (he/him) is one of our founding board members, and his leadership reflects decades of work at the intersection of higher education, disability justice, and systemic change. As the Senior Director of Accessibility Services and ADA Coordinator at Rowan University, John has spent over 35 years creating the conditions under which disabled and neurodivergent students can thrive. At Rowan, he also co-leads the Center for Neurodiversity, a national model for what can happen when universities stop treating disability as a legal problem and start understanding it as a cultural and intellectual force.

John’s work doesn’t live in the realm of theory alone. He has shaped faculty training programs that elevate neurodivergent voice, reimagined accessibility as a dynamic practice rather than a static checklist, and mentored countless students, staff, and leaders toward a more just and inclusive vision of education. His belief in peer-led, identity-centered change mirrors our own core commitments at Fish in a Tree, and his partnership has been foundational to our evolution from a local community space to a national and global hub for neurodiversity justice.

Beyond his administrative leadership, John is also a published author whose work continues to shift professional discourse. He is co-author of College Success for Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Neurodiversity Perspective and Creating Inclusive Library Environments, two critical texts that foreground neurodivergent success not as a matter of compliance, but as a matter of equity, culture, and care.

John holds an M.S. in Health Education from St. Joseph’s University and a B.S. in Business Administration from St. Francis University, but his most powerful credential is the trust he’s built in the communities he serves. As a founding board member of Fish in a Tree, John brings not only institutional expertise but also deep alignment with our mission to build a world in which neurodivergent people are not merely accommodated, but truly welcomed, centered, and celebrated.

We are proud and grateful to work alongside John as we continue to grow this movement. His presence on our board is not just a credential, it’s a commitment to systems-level change led by those who know it best.

Welcome to the house we’re building, and meet one of the architects: John Woodruff.