Longtime Access Board Secretary Retires After 40 Years of Service

After 40 years of public service, the majority of which was spent at the U.S. Access Board, the agency’s Executive Secretary Rose Marie S. Bunales has retired. Rose Marie began her federal career in 1985 as a Clerk-Typist at the Steam Distribution Complex, a field office under the General Services Administration (GSA). After serving there for 18 months, Rose Marie began her time at the Access Board, where she remained until the end of December 2025, making her the longest serving staff member in the history of the Access Board.

In 1987, Rose Marie joined the Access Board while it was still a relatively young agency. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, among other things, created the U.S. Access Board to maintain and enforce standards under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Rose Marie’s first role at the Board was as a Reader/Clerk-Typist and then Technical Unit Secretary in the Office of Technical and Information Services (OTIS). At the time, the agency was based out of the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building in Washington, D.C., which is now primarily occupied by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Much of Rose Marie’s early career was spent assisting Laurinda Steele Lacy, her first supervisor, with contracting for technical assistance projects and research. She read reports, as well as technical and cost proposals, while Laurinda typed in braille; once Laurinda had compiled her responses, she dictated them to Rose Marie. At the time, Laurinda served as the Deputy Director of OTIS, a position that has since been retired. As a woman who was blind, Laurinda frequently worked alongside clerks such as Rose Marie in order to help complete the critical work of the agency. As future advances made information and communication technology (ICT) more accessible to people with disabilities, the nature of Rose Marie’s work also changed.

In 1990, the accessibility landscape in the United States changed dramatically with the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although her son was born just days after President Bush signed the bill into law, Rose Marie spent untold hours over the following year helping to prepare the initial version of the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). The Access Board was tasked with drafting ADAAG within one year after the ADA was signed into law. Rose Marie and the other staff at the agency worked long days and late nights to achieve this goal. As a clerk for the Board, Rose Marie was one of the primary typists of ADAAG before it was sent to the Federal Register and the Government Publishing Office (GPO).

Whereas clerks, typists, and secretaries were once the primary staff needed to answer phones, accept mail, and complete printing and filing, these duties became less specialized as new technologies and advances in automation were made. Nevertheless, Rose Marie and her colleagues in the field of administrative assistance adapted with the times: clerks who once dealt primarily with analog technology and print materials learned about editing, publishing, and other skills that would translate into the digital age. Rose Marie’s ability to adapt to these changes is emblematic of her passion for public service and accessibility. In reflecting on her long career, Rose Marie shared that she believes public service to be a calling, and that “it takes real strength of character to be a public servant.” Rose Marie’s time at the Board is a prime example of that strength of character, as her efforts have played no small part in making the U.S. a more accessible home for millions of Americans with disabilities.

Rose Marie’s final position at the Access Board was as Executive Secretary in the Office of Executive Director (OED). In this role, she was responsible for coordinating executive correspondence, Board meeting materials, agency contacts, timekeeping, and official passports. Rose Marie worked closely with Executive Directors and staff from across all units to ensure that the agency was able to best serve the American public.

During her time at the Board, Rose Marie served under seven presidents, 39 Access Board Chairs, and hundreds of Board Members. She helped bring to fruition a vast majority of the rulemaking completed by the agency and was a source of friendship and wisdom to all her colleagues. Rose Marie’s contributions to the Access Board have been critical to the agency’s mission of advancing accessibility for people with disabilities, and the nation will long benefit from the four decades of public service that Rose Marie has given to her country.

All the staff and Board Members at the Access Board wish Rose Marie a joyful retirement and the best of luck with all her future endeavors.