Our Members and Fellows
Our Members and Fellows are diverse emerging and established leaders with disabilities from all walks of life.
All of our members are interested in learning more about civic and career leadership opportunities. This page includes search tools to help you find key interest areas or professional expertise along with short bio depictions of our members. If you’d like to connect with one or more of our members about a specific opportunity, please email staff.
We recently lost distinguished member and disability rights champion, Marca Bristo, President and CEO of Access Living. You can read more about her career here and the civil rights she championed for our community.
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AZEEMA AKRAM
- Administrative Law Judge, Transportation Division
- Illinois Commerce Commission
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JOE ALBRITTON
- Deputy Commisioner
- Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, City of Chicago
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ERICK ALLEN
- Senior EEO/Diversity Trainer
- Metra
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ZULLY JF ALVARADO
- Founder & President
- Causes for Change International
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STEPHANIE ANDERSON
- Vice Principal
- Vaughn Occupational High School
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CORRYN ANTONIZIO
- Sr. Energy & Sustainability Analyst
- Ulta Beauty
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RACHEL ARFA
- Staff Attorney, Civil Rights Team and PABSS Project Manager
- Equip for Equality
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GARY ARNOLD
- Program Director
- Progress Center for Independent Living
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ADAM BALLARD
- Housing and Transportation Policy Analyst
- Access Living
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LINDA BANNON
- Founder
- Look Ma, No Hands
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FRANCINE BELL
- Founder and Executive Director
- The Hilliard Foundation
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PETER BERG
- Project Coordinator of Technical Assistance
- Great Lakes ADA Center
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GARY BERINGER
- Principal/CEO
- Beringer & Associates
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JUAN BERNAL
- Deaf Multilingual ASL Interpreter and Mentor
- ASL-BERNAL LLC (Based in Texas)
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EMILY BLUM
- Executive Director
- ADA 25 Advancing Leadership
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BILL BOGDAN
- Disability Liaison
- Illinois Secretary of State
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BECKY BRASFIELD
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KIMBERLY BROWN
- Senior Business Analyst
- ComEd
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ANNE M. BURKE
- Justice
- Illinois Supreme Court
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DR. KATE CALDWELL
- Clinical Assistant Professor
- University of Illinois at Chicago
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JACK CATLIN
- Founder and Partner
- LCM Architects
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PATRICK CORRIGAN
- Distinguished Professor of Psychology
- Illinois Institute of Technology
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CLARK CRAIG
- Community Organizing Advocate
- Progress Center for Independent Living
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KEVIN D’AMBROSIO
- Office Supervisor
- Faithful+Gould
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KAREEM DALE
- Director and Senior Counsel
- Discover Financial Services
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LIZ DAVIS
- User Experience Designer
- SPR Consulting
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HORACIO ESPARZA
- Executive Director
- Progress Center for Independent Living
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BRIDGET EVANS
- Patient Safety Consultant
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
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ANTHONY M. ABOU EZZI
- Owner and Principal Attorney
- Ezzi Law
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CHERYL FARNEY
- Recovery Support Assistant
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
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JUSTINE FEDAK
- Senior Vice President and Head of Brand, Advertising, and Sponsorships
- BMO Financial Group, North America
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DAISY FEIDT
- Acting CEO
- Access Living
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JAMES FERG-CADIMA
- Chair
- Illinois Human Rights Commission
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MICHELLE FRIEDMAN
- Life Coach
- Transcending Limitations
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TANYA FRIESE
- Assistant Professor
- Rush University College of Nursing, Department of Community, Systems, and Mental Health
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ANDRÉS J. GALLEGOS
- Attorney
- Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd.
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VALERIE GILLES
- Manager, Global Strategy
- KPMG International
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LORI GODDARD
- VP, Management Director
- FCB Chicago
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NAKIA J. GREEN
- President
- Nakia J Consulting
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ROBERT GREEN
- Access Living/Peer Health Navigator
- University of Illinois
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VANESSA HARRIS
- Owner
- VA Harris Consulting
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EMILY HARRIS
- Principal
- Harris Strategies
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BRIDGET HAYMAN
- Director Of Communications
- Access Living
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PAM HEAVENS
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TSEHAYE GERALYN HEBERT
- Independent Writing and Editing Professional, Playwright
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SARAH HELM
- Manager, Diversity & Inclusion
- Discover Financial Services
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DIANA HELT
- Project Manager
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
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BRIAN HEYBURN
- Doctoral Candidate, Disability and Human Development
- University of Illinois at Chicago
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KEVIN IRVINE
- Senior Talent Acquisitions Consultant, Individuals with Disabilities
- Rush University Medical Center
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PAULETTE JAGERS
- Head, Strategic Initiatives and Leadership Development
- BMO Financial Group
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ANDRE JOHNSON
- Founder and CEO
- LiveEquipd
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STEPHANIE KANTER
- Business Support Manager
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
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NICOLE KELLY
- Assistant Production Manager
- Ravenswood Studio
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EVELYN KEOLIAN
- Librarian
- Chicago Public Library
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ABDUL HAKIM KHAN
- Measurement and Verification Services Manager
- Honeywell
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KEVIN KNABE
- Requirements Management Engineer
- General Electric Company
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SAM KNIGHT
- Independent Living Advocate
- Disability Resource Center
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BENJAMIN LACHMAN
- Go To Market Associate
- UnisionHQ (Based in Greater Detroit Area, Michigan)
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TUYET LE
- Former Executive Director
- Asian American Advancing Justice
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MICHELE LEE
- Finance Senior Administrator, International Treasury
- Aon Corporation
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JASON LEHMANN
- QA Analyst
- Aspiritech
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TEKKI LOMNICKI
- Artistic Director & Co-Founder
- Tellin’ Tales Theatre
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VERONICA “V” LOZANO
- Women, Infant, Youth, Children Ryan White Case Manager
- Howard Brown Health
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BENJAMIN LUMICAO
- Counsel
- Allstate Insurance Company
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PATRICK MAHER
- Director of Civic Engagement
- SPR Consulting
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SHANNON MAHER
- Recruiting Programs Specialist
- Exelon
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CHAITANYA MANCHANDA
- Information Security Risk Management
- Discover
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ANN MANIKAS
- Director, Organizational Development and Learning
- American Medical Association
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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.)
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MARGARET ROSE MCDONNELL
- Director
- Disability Services at Saint Xavier University
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CHRISTINA MCGLEAM
- Assistant to the Commissioner
- Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
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NORMA JANE “JANIE” MEJIAS
- Doctoral Candidate and Instructor, Disability and Human Development
- University of Illinois at Chicago
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MARCA BRISTO – IN MEMORIAM
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JOSE MENDEZ
- Diversity Consultant
- Disability Consulting Services, Inc.
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ANGEL MILES
- Health Policy Analyst
- Access Living
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ROSALIND MOORE
- Director of Programs
- Teamwork Englewood
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DAVID ERNESTO MUNAR
- President and CEO
- Howard Brown Health
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KATHLEEN DILLON NARKO
- Clinical Professor of Law
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
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ANNE NASH
- Senior Program Manager
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KELLY O’BRIEN
- President and Founder
- Ideaction Corps
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WILLIAM O’CONNOR
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BENRO OGUNYIPE
- Senior Accessibility Specialist
- State of Illinois, Department of Human Services
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RONALD OTTO
- Director of Recovery
- Thresholds Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centers
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JOYCE OTUWA
- Staff Attorney
- Equip for Equality
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RANDALL OWEN
- Associate Professional Research
- Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco
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KANEY O’NEILL
- President and Founder
- ONeill Contractors, Inc.
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ALICE PALMER
- Former Illinois State Senator
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CHRISTEA PARENT
- Studio Coordinator/Administrative Assistant
- The Arts of Life
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RAHNEE PATRICK
- Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Services
- Illinois Department of Human Services
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KELLY PIERCE
- Legal Assistant and Disability Specialist
- Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
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BRENDA PINO
- Vice President, North American Physical Channels Operations
- BMO Financial Group
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GREG POLMAN
- Senior Vice President, Public Policy
- The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
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CHRISTOPHE QUANCARD
- Manager, Global Employer Services
- Deloitte
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MAUREEN REAGAN
- President
- MRA Architects, Ltd.
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RISA RIFKIND
- Director, Civic Engagement and Marketing
- ADA 25 Advancing Leadership
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MARY ROSENBERG
- Staff Attorney
- Access Living
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JOSEPH RUSSO
- Deputy Commissioner of Compliance
- Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, City of Chicago
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CARRIE SANDAHL
- Associate Professor, Disability and Human Development Director, Program on Disability Art, Culture and Humanities, Disability and Human Development
- University of Illinois at Chicago
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COURTNEY SASS
- Student Aide
- British International School of Chicago
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ANN SCHOLHAMER
- Vice President
- Brenda Borri Company
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GRISHMA SHAH
- Mass Media Consultant and Artist
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ATHER SHARIF
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ART SIMS
- Radio Talk Show Host & Executive Producer
- WVON 1690AM - Midway Broadcasting Company
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WILLIAM SITTER
- Senior Market Analyst
- Talent Hitch
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AMBER SMOCK
- Director of Advocacy and External Affairs
- Access Living
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REBECCA STALEY
- Program Manager
- Health Care Service Corporation
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MARGARET SUGRUE
- Corporate Social Responsibility Strategic Communications Manager
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
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KAREN TAMLEY
- Commissioner
- Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, City of Chicago
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SANDY TIANIA
- Cost Accountant III
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
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CHAD E. TURNER
- Vice President, Finance & Business Manager
- JPMorgan Chase
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CAITY-SHEA VIOLETTE
- Playwright & Actress
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JEWEL HOLLY WARE
- Owner
- Jewels of Success
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ANDREW WEBB
- Equal Justice Works Fellow and Attorney
- Equip for Equality
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MOLLY WIESMAN
- Administrative Assistant
- Peters & Associates, Oak Brook
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MARK WILLIAMS
- Grants Manager
- United Way of Metropolitan Chicago
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BRYEN YUNASHKO
- Owner
- Access 256 Productions