Jesus Chuy Campuzano was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois where he still resides. Growing up in Chicago he went through the special education system. After graduating he never received services from the Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities as he was unaware and uninterested in long term services. Chuy was ashamed and felt isolated with his disability. Fortunately, he joined Access Living, a Disability Rights Organization in 2008 where he met many disability advocates. He began to learn about individuals with all types of disabilities and to accept them. This led to Chuy becoming a leader in the advocacy community. Chuy is a member of the Going Home Coalition and chairs the leadership committee. As a member of the WOW team Chuy plans and co-hosts the meetings and created the WOW Facebook Group. Chuy is a regular presenter at the Speak Up Speak Out Summit in Illinois. His project “Dis Life …An Historical Perspective of Lives that Matter” has allowed him to conduct numerous interviews with individuals in the disability community. Chuy is also a co-creator and co-presenter of “It Begins with Saying ‘Hi’”, a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Chuy believes that getting to know individuals and their strengths will lead to better outcomes in life, and that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity. Connect with Chuy at chuywithjustice@gmail.com.

Leanne Mull has been supporting people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to achieve their dreams since 1999 when, after her work as a corporate trainer, she hired someone with a job coach to work in a store she managed.  She spent the next 15 years at a traditional agency in a variety of roles including Director of Employment and Advocacy, and QIDP.  Leanne believes that the key to meaningful lives for people who receive services is to encourage, empower and enlighten the staff who work for them.  Currently, Leanne fulfils that dream as co-director of Blue Tower Solutions where projects include serving as the Chair of the Responding with Victims with Disabilities Committee for the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council, a project of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. The Responding to Victims with Disabilities committee is responsible for the creation and revision of protocols for law enforcement and Prosecutors for responding to victims with disabilities and older adults Systems Advocacy Coordinator for The Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance.  Leanne holds a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration. Connect with Leanne at leanneadvocacy@gmail.com.

Linda Sandman has 35 years of clinical experience working with adults with disabilities, including mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). She is an experienced trainer and consultant to agencies and organizations working with people with disabilities. While a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Disability and Human Development, Linda served as Director of Clinical Services for the Developmental Disabilities Family Clinics, which provided direct service annually to over 1,000 individuals with disabilities and their families. In addition, Linda is a founding member of the Sexuality and Disability Consortium at IDHD and played an instrumental role in ground-breaking research in the area of sexual self-advocacy for people with disabilities.  Linda is passionate about promoting inclusion and full participation in community life for people with disabilities. She is bilingual (Spanish/English) and bicultural and is also deeply committed to promoting diversity and empowerment for all.
Connect with Linda at lsandman.msw@gmail.com.

Kimberly Johnson is a professional disability/legislative advocate, grassroots community leader, who believes in leadership through systems change; creating, working toward and achieving a vision of shared values about people living with disabilities. Through her work as President, Board of Directors of Chicagoland Autism Connection (CAC), The Arc of Illinois (Ligas Family Advocate and later as Board Treasurer), The Office of Diverse Learner Supports & Services (ODLSS - Parent Engagement Specialist)/Chicago Public Schools, Kimberly’s work and passion to support families living with disabilities with a specific focus on marginalized communities has supported hundreds across Illinois. Professionally, Kimberly works as a Regional Coordinator (Cook County), Community Residential Services Authority (CRSA). This position provides technical assistance to families, service providers, educators and other professionals to help plan and implement appropriate, effective services for children with severe emotional disturbances and/or behavior disorders (SED/BD), in Illinois. Personally, she is the mother of an adult son living with Autism, speech and cognitive delay and gained her lived experience through their journey navigating services in Chicago and surrounding suburbs of Illinois. Kimberly believes grassroots advocacy is the heart and soul of advocacy and her mission to support families with children and adults living with disabilities began when she realized that state and federal funding, resources and services were limited or non-existent in her community and other underserved/marginalized communities.   Connect with Kimberly at kjadvocacy50@gmail.com.

Krescene Beck has a lifetime of experience supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Her enthusiasm and zest for life provide inspiration to everyone she meets as a regular presenter at statewide and national conferences.  As a licensed Nursing Home Administrator and former Executive Vice President of a large social service agency, Krescene has spent the past ten years working on statewide grants focused on self-advocacy and on building collaborations to better respond to people with disabilities who experience violence. Krescene’s vision is simply put: Find your passion. Live your purpose. Celebrate your journey. Connect with Krescene at krescenebeck@gmail.com.