Members
ADA 25 Advancing Leadership members represent emerging and established leaders from the Chicago region. Members include individuals who were selected for leadership training (Fellows), and individuals selected for illustrated leadership and civic service throughout their career.
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AZEEMA AKRAM
Transportation Counsel
Illinois Commerce Commission
LinkedIn Profile
azeema.n.akram@gmail.com
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JOE ALBRITTON
Deputy Commisioner
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, City of Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
joe.albritton@cityofchicago.org
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ERICK ALLEN
Senior EEO Trainer
Metra
LinkedIn Profile
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ZULLY JF ALVARADO
Founder & President
Causes for Change International
LinkedIn Profile
Zully@CausesforChange.org
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STEPHANIE ANDERSON
Vice Principal
Vaughn Occupational High School
LinkedIn Profile
anderson.stephanieann@gmail.com
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Corryn Antonizio (2019 Fellow)
Sr. Energy & Sustainability Analyst
Ulta Beauty
LinkedIn Profile
cantonizio@ulta.com
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RACHEL ARFA
Staff Attorney, Civil Rights Team and PABSS Project Manager
Equip for Equality
LinkedIn Profile
rachela@equipforequality.org
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GARY ARNOLD
Program Director
Progress Center for Independent Living
LinkedIn Profile
garnold@progresscil.org
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ADAM BALLARD
Housing and Transportation Policy Analyst
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
aballard@accessliving.org
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LINDA BANNON
Founder
Look Ma, No Hands
LinkedIn Profile
lookmanohands79@gmail.com
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FRANCINE BELL
Founder and Executive Director
The Hilliard Foundation
LinkedIn Profile
fhbell78@gmail.com
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PETER BERG
Project Coordinator of Technical Assistance
Great Lakes ADA Center
LinkedIn Profile
pberg@uic.edu
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GARY BERINGER
Principal
Beringer & Associates
LinkedIn Profile
gbberinger@sbcglobal.net
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JUAN BERNAL
Deaf Multilingual ASL Interpreter and Mentor
ASL-BERNAL LLC (Based in Texas)
LinkedIn Profile
mrjuanbernal@aol.com
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EMILY BLUM
Director of Marketing and Communications
Metropolitan Planning Council
LinkedIn Profile
eblum@metroplanning.org
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BILL BOGDAN
Disability Liaison
Illinois Secretary of State
LinkedIn Profile
billyb4access@gmail.com
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BECKY BRASFIELD
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MARCA BRISTO
President and CEO
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
mbristo@accessliving.org
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KIMBERLY BROWN
Senior Business Analyst
Commonwealth Edison
kimberly.brown2@comed.com
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ANNE M. BURKE
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JACK CATLIN
Founder and Partner
LCM Architects
LinkedIn Profile
jcatlin@lcmarchitects.com
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PATRICK CORRIGAN
Distinguished Professor of Psychology
Illinois Institute of Technology
LinkedIn Profile
corrigan@iit.edu
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C. Richard Costes (2019 Fellow)
Manager, Chapter & Membership Services
Association for Corporate Growth
LinkedIn Profile
c.richard.costes@gmail.com
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CLARK CRAIG
Community Organizer
Progress Center for Independent Living
LinkedIn Profile
ccraig@progresscil.org
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KEVIN D’AMBROSIO
Office Supervisor
Faithful+Gould
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
kmdambro@gmail.com
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KAREEM DALE
Director and Senior Counsel
Discover Financial Services
LinkedIn Profile
kareem.a.dale@gmail.com
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LIZ DAVIS
Front End Web Designer
Quikorder
LinkedIn Profile
elizabeth.ch.davis@gmail.com
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HORACIO ESPARZA
Executive Director
Progress Center for Independent Living
LinkedIn Profile
hesparza@progresscil.org
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BRIDGET EVANS
Patient Safety Analyst
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
LinkedIn Profile
bridget4evans@gmail.com
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Anthony M. Abou Ezzi (2019 Fellow)
Owner and Founder
Ezzi Law
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
tony@ezzilaw.com
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CHERYL FARNEY
Recovery Support Assistant
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
LinkedIn Profile
cfarney@gmail.com
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JUSTINE FEDAK
Senior Vice President and Head of Brand, Advertising, and Sponsorships
BMO Financial Group, North America
LinkedIn Profile
Justine.Fedak@bmo.com
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DAISY FEIDT
Executive Vice President
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
dfeidt@accessliving.org
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JAMES FERG-CADIMA
Associate General Counsel, Public Safety
City of Chicago, Office of Inspector General
LinkedIn Profile
jfergcadima@gmail.com
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TANYA FRIESE
Assistant Professor
Rush University College of Nursing, Department of Community, Systems, and Mental Health
LinkedIn Profile
Tanya_R_Friese@rush.edu
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ANDRéS J. GALLEGOS
Attorney
Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd.
LinkedIn Profile
AGallegos@rsplaw.com
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VALERIE GILLES
Manager, Strategy and Management Consulting
KPMG
LinkedIn Profile
vgilles@kpmg.com
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Lori Goddard (2019 Fellow)
VP, Management Director
FCB Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
lori.goddard@fcb.com
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Nakia J. Green (2019 Fellow)
President
Nakia J Consulting
LinkedIn Profile
nakia@nakiajconsulting.com
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Robert Green (2019 Fellow)
Peer Health Navigator
University of Illinois Outpatient Therapy and Disability Studies
LinkedIn Profile
rlgreen@ameritech.net
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EMILY HARRIS
Executive Director, ADA 25 Advancing Leadership
Senior Director, The Chicago Community Trust
LinkedIn Profile
eharris@cct.org
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BRIDGET HAYMAN
Director of Communications
Access Living
bhayman@accessliving.org
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PAM HEAVENS
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TSEHAYE GERALYN HEBERT
Playwright
LinkedIn Profile
tsehayegeralynhebert@gmail.com
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SARAH HELM
Manager, Diversity & Inclusion
Discover Financial Services
LinkedIn Profile
sarahhelm@discover.com
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DIANA HELT
Project Manager
Lurie Children’s Hospital
LinkedIn Profile
dianahelt@gmail.com
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BRIAN HEYBURN
Doctoral Candidate
Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
brian.heyburn@gmail.com
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KEVIN IRVINE
Senior Talent Acquisitions Consultant, Individuals with Disabilities
Rush University Medical Center
LinkedIn Profile
Kevin_Irvine@rush.edu
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PAULETTE JAGERS
Head, Strategic Initiatives and Leadership
BMO Financial Group
LinkedIn Profile
Paulette.Jagers@bmo.com
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ANDRE JOHNSON
Founder and CEO
LiveEquipd
LinkedIn Profile
andre@liveequipd.com
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STEPHANIE KANTER
Business Support Manager
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
skanter1021@gmail.com
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Nicole Kelly (2019 Fellow)
Marketing Coordinator
Keno Kozie
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
missnicolegkelly@gmail.com
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EVELYN KEOLIAN
Children's Librarian
Chicago Public Library
LinkedIn Profile
ekeolian@chipublib.org
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Abdul Hakim Khan (2019 Fellow)
Measurement and Verification Services Manager
Honeywell
LinkedIn Profile
ahakimkhan@gmail.com
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KEVIN KNABE
Requirements Management Engineer
General Electric Company
Kevin.Knabe@ge.com
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SAM KNIGHT
Community Organizer
Will Grundy Center for Independent Living
LinkedIn Profile
sam@drcjoliet.org
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BENJAMIN LACHMAN
Go To Market Associate
UnisionHQ (Based in Greater Detroit Area, Michigan)
LinkedIn Profile
ben.lachman@gmail.com
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TUYET LE
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MICHELE LEE
Corporate Treasury
Aon Corporation
LinkedIn Profile
MICHELE.LEE@AON.COM
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Jason Lehmann (2019 Fellow)
QA Analyst
Aspiritech
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
jasonmlehmann@gmail.com
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Tekki Lomnicki
Founder
Tellin Tales Theater
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
tekkil@aol.com
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VERONICA “V” LOZANO
Women, Infant, Children, and Youth Ryan White Case Manager
Howard Brown Health
LinkedIn Profile
veronicaplozano@gmail.com
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BENJAMIN LUMICAO
Counsel
Allstate Insurance Company
LinkedIn Profile
blumicao@allstate.com
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PATRICK MAHER
Director of Civic Engagement
SPR Consulting
LinkedIn Profile
pat.maher@spr.com
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Shannon Maher (2019 Fellow)
Recruiting Programs Specialist
Exelon
LinkedIn Profile
shannonkwebster@gmail.com
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CHAITANYA MANCHANDA
Cyber Security Risk Management Professional
Discover Financial Services
LinkedIn Profile
chaitanyamanchanda@discover.com
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Ann Manikas
Director, Organizational Development and Learning
American Medical Association Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
Ann.Manikas@ama-assn.org
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LINDA MASTANDREA
Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (Based in Washington, D.C.)
LinkedIn Profile
lmastand@gmail.com
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MARGARET ROSE MCDONNELL
Director, Learning Center and Disability Services
Saint Xavier University
LinkedIn Profile
mairead121@comcast.net
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CHRISTINA MCGLEAM
Assistant to the Commissioner
Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
LinkedIn Profile
christina.mcgleam@cityofchicago.org
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NORMA JANE “JANIE” MEJIAS
Doctoral Candidate and Instructor
Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago
nmejia2@uic.edu
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JOSE MENDEZ
Founder & Director
Disability Consulting Services, Inc.
LinkedIn Profile
josemendez22@hotmail.com
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ANGEL MILES
Health Policy Analyst
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
amiles@accessliving.org
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Rosalind Moore (2019 Fellow)
Director of Programs
Teamwork Englewood
LinkedIn Profile
rmoore@teamworkenglewood.org
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DAVID ERNESTO MUNAR
President and CEO
Howard Brown Health
LinkedIn Profile
davidm@howardbrown.org
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KATHLEEN DILLON NARKO
Clinical Associate Professor of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
LinkedIn Profile
k-narko@law.northwestern.edu
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ANNE NASH (2019 Fellow)
Program Manager
Google
LinkedIn Profile
anneenash@gmail.com
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KELLY O’BRIEN
President and Founder, Ideaction Corps
Illinois Director, The Kennedy Forum
LinkedIn Profile
kelly.obrien67@gmail.com
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WILLIAM O’CONNOR
Information and Referral Specialist
Ability Links
LinkedIn Profile
william.oconnor1@outlook.com
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BENRO OGUNYIPE
Accessibility Specialist
State of Illinois, Department of Human Services
LinkedIn Profile
naijabo@gmail.com
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RONALD OTTO
Director of Recovery
Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers
Ronald.Otto@thresholds.org
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JOYCE OTUWA
Staff Attorney
Equip for Equality
LinkedIn Profile
jotuwa@gmail.com
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RANDALL OWEN
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD), University of Illinois at Chicago
Associate Director, Institute on Disability and Human Development
LinkedIn Profile
rowen4@uic.edu
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KANEY O’NEILL
President and Founder
ONeill Contractors, Inc.
LinkedIn Profile
kaney@oneillcontractors.com
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ALICE PALMER
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Christea Parent (2019 Fellow)
Studio Coordinator/Administrative Assistant
The Arts of Life
LinkedIn Profile
christea.parent@gmail.com
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RAHNEE PATRICK
Director of Independent Living
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
rpatrick@accessliving.org
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KELLY PIERCE
Disability Specialist
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
LinkedIn Profile
kkellyp@gmail.com
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Brenda Pino
Vice President, Physical Channels, Operations
BMO Financial Group
LinkedIn Profile
Brenda.pino@bmo.com
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GREG POLMAN
Senior Vice President, Public Policy
The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
LinkedIn Profile
Greg.Polman@chicagolighthouse.org
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Christophe Quancard (2019 Fellow)
Manager
Deloitte
LinkedIn Profile
quancard@gmail.com
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MAUREEN REAGAN
President
MRA Architects, Ltd.
LinkedIn Profile
mreagan@mra-chicago.com
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RISA RIFKIND
Program Manager
Chicago Community Trust
LinkedIn Profile
rrifkind@cct.org
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MARY ROSENBERG
Staff Attorney
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
MRosenberg@accessliving.org
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JOSEPH RUSSO
Deputy Commissioner of Compliance
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, City of Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
Joseph.Russo@cityofchicago.org
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COURTNEY SASS
Student Aide
British International School of Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
csass09@gmail.com
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Ann Scholhamer
Vice President
Brenda Borri Company
LinkedIn Profile
ann@brendaborri.com
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GRISHMA SHAH
Mass Media Consultant and Artist
LinkedIn Profile
grishmashah@hotmail.com
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ATHER SHARIF
Software Engineer
Comcast
LinkedIn Profile
ather.sharif@gmail.com
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Art Sims (2019 Fellow)
Executive Producer and Radio Talk Show Host
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
artdsims@gmail.com
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WILLIAM SITTER
Senior Market Analyst
Talent Hitch
LinkedIn Profile
w.sitter@yahoo.com
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SIDNEY SMITH
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AMBER SMOCK
Director of Advocacy and External Affairs
Access Living
LinkedIn Profile
asmock@accessliving.org
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Rebecca Staley (2019 Fellow)
Program Manager, Specialty Markets
Health Care Service Corporation
LinkedIn Profile
rebecca_staley@bcbsil.com
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MARGARET SUGRUE
Public Affairs Analyst
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
LinkedIn Profile
margaret_sugrue@bcbsil.com
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KAREN TAMLEY
Commissioner
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, City of Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
karen.tamley@cityofchicago.org
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Sandy Tiania (2019 Fellow)
Cost Accountant III
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
LinkedIn Profile
tianias@gmail.com
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CHAD E. TURNER
Vice President, Finance & Business Manager
JPMorgan Chase
LinkedIn Profile
cturner003@gmail.com
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CAITY-SHEA VIOLETTE
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
caitysheaviolette@gmail.com
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JEWEL HOLLY WARE
Owner
Jewels of Success
LinkedIn Profile
Personal Website
jewel@jewelsofsuccess.com
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ANDREW WEBB
Equal Justice Works Fellow and Attorney
Equip for Equality
LinkedIn Profile
awebb2168@gmail.com
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Molly Wiesman (2019 Fellow)
Administrative Assistant
Peters & Associates
LinkedIn Profile
mollywiesman@gmail.com
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MARK WILLIAMS
Grants Manager
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago
LinkedIn Profile
mark.williams@uw-mc.org
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BRYEN YUNASHKO
Owner
Access 256 Productions
LinkedIn Profile
hello@bryen.com