Here are some pictures and a list of the guest speakers who have attended some of our meetings and forums.

Terry Varnet, MSW, JD; Spain, Spain & Varnet

Jess McDonald, Dir. Dept. of Mental Health & DD

1993

Lynda Atherton, Parent Advocate

Al Smith, Ill. State Board Of Education

Carl Hamilton, DORS, Home Services Program

George Cutright, Social Security Administration

Sharon Nemeth, Dignity Group

Peter Lennon, Consumer Owned/Controlled Housing

Lynn Elwood, Will/Grundy CIL

Peg Redding, Evelyn Barney & Sheila Romano from

    Independent Living Opportunities

1994

Kelly Cunningham, Office of the Governor

Meeting with Race Davies, House Republican Staff

Meeting with Joan Walters, Director, Bureau of  the Budget

Sara Straney, Ill. Planning Council

1995

Mary Mayer & Nora Paape, Transition Planning

Ann Hilton Fisher, J.D., Legal Assistance Foundation

Tony Paulauski, ARC of Illinois

Jean Fox, Office Of Inspector General

Lynn Handy, IDMH/DD, Acting Director

Audrey McCrimmon, Director, DORS

Robin Jones, U. of I. Dept. on Disability & Human Dev.

Lydia Glasson, J.D., Equip For Equality

Ann Patla, IDMH/DD, Director

Frank Bogard, 1st Named Plaintiff, Bogard Class Action

Wallace Winter, J.D, Legal Assistance Foundation

Pat Curtis, IDMH/DD, Kiley Transition Coordinator

Roberta Lynch, Deputy Director, AFSCME

Tia Nelis, President, People First of Illinois

Hazel Shapen, President, Howe ARC

Shawn Jeffers, Associate Director, DMH/DD

1996

Pat Curtis, Inspector General

Patrick Rodgers, Social Security Administration

Gerry Beagles, Network Coordinator, South Suburban

Rep. Stephen Spangler, (R-75)

Rep. Phil Novak, (D-85)

Kerry Lacko, Gov’s Task Force, Human Service Reform

Laura Sakas, Managing Attorney, Office of St. Guardian

Helen Godlewski, Guardianship Managing Administrator

1997

Meeting With DHS Secretary Howard Peters III

Gerry Beagles, Chicago Network Coordinator

Sandy Thurston Ryan, Ill Planning Council

Jayme Levin-Murial, J.D., Spain, Spain & Varnet

Ted Burke, Early Intervention Resource Spec, Starnet

Richard Hemp, Proj. Dir., Nat. Study of Public Spending for DD,  Univ. of Illinois

Jennifer Light, J.D, Staff Attorney, EI Serv. In Illinois

1998

Senator William F. Mahar, (R-19)

Representative Jack McGuire, (D-86)

Kathy Muniz, Facility Director, Howe Dev. Center

Ira Collins, Facility Director, Shapiro Dev. Center

David Decker, Facility Director, Ludeman Dev. Ctr.

Rep. Mary Kay O’Brien, (D-75)

John Budny, Director, Office Of DD

Jan Miller, DORS, Supported Employment Specialist

Cindy Lapicki, Dir. Of Rehab, Cornerstone

Cindy Ginther-Piser, Coord. Of Comm. Employment,             Cornerstone

Robin Mirtes, Community Placement Service Mgr., St. Coletta’s of Illinois

Melissa Gonda, Dir. Of Employment Services, Sertoma

Kevin Steelman, Budget Director, DHS

Rep. Louis Lang (D-16)

1999

Senator Thomas Walsh (R-22)

Carl LaMell, President & CEO, Clearbrook Center

Scott Kimmel, DHS, Rates Unit

Melissa Wright, Associate Dir. For DD, DHS

Bob Scanlan, Chic. Metro Area Network Coordinator

Sheila Romano, Exec. Dir., Ill. Planning Council

Rep. Renee’ Kosel (R-38)

Gary Miller, Director,  Ill. Guardianship & Advocacy

2000

Odell Thompson, Inspector General, DHS

Morris Fred, Illinois Guardianship Reform Project

Carl Suter, Associate Director, Office of Rehab. Services

Sen. Patrick J. O’Malley (R-18)

Art Dykstra, President & CEO, Trinity Services, Inc

Elaine Hoff, Policy Advisor On Disability Rights,

     Attorney General’s Office

2001

Susan Ewald, Director, Conference of Women Legislators (COWL)

Robert H. Farley, Jr. J.D., Plaintiff’s Counsel For             Boudreau V. Ryan

Rep. Robert Ryan (D-79)

Rep. James D. Brosnahan (D-36), Chair, House Committee on the Disabled Community

Nancy DeMarco, Director, Ill. G & A Commission

Ron Wampler, Chief, Developmental Disabilities Section, IDPH

Michele Piel, Olmstead Coordinator, State of Illinois

Kathy Muniz, Assistant Associate Director, Office of DD, DHS.

Meeting with Linda Renee’ Baker, Secretary of DHS

2002

Jeri Johnson, Assistant Associate Dir, Office of DD

WE THANK ALL THESE GUEST SPEAKERS FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS WHO HAVE KEPT OUR MEMBERS SO WELL INFORMED. THANKS ALSO TO ALL THE LEGISLATORS AND CANDIDATES WHO ATTENDED OUR FIVE LEGISLATIVE FORUMS (SEE PAGE 2). “THE INFORMED CONSUMER CHOOSES BEST.”