Our Members continued to show the impact of disability leadership throughout the during the fall months. From October 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, Disability Lead facilitated 16 impactful connections, resulting in 10 successful collaborations, resulting in a year in total of 200 connections facilitated and 92 successful connections. Here are some of the highlights of the connections during the last quarter of the year.
Board Appointments
Olivia Farrell (Fellow, 2025) was appointed to the EverThrive Illinois Board of Directors.
Professional Positions
Adam Ballard (Fellow, 2017) was named the Executive Director of the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance.
Amy Johnson (Fellow, 2023) started a new position as the User Experience and Accessibility Lead in the City of Chicago’s Department of Technology & Innovation.
Ashley Eisenmenger (Fellow, 2021) was promoted to Director of Communications at Access Living.
“I’m excited to work in a leadership role at Access Living where I can continue to direct and shape how we tell the important stories of the disabled experience. It feels like I’ve come full-circle and am so lucky to get to blend the various roles I’ve held at Access Living over my time with the organization.”
Clare Killy (Fellow, 2022) was promoted to Director of Programs at Disability Lead.
Jenn Jones (Fellow, 2026) was promoted to Director of Operations and HR at Disability Lead.
Risa Jaz Rifkind (Fellow, 2017) was promoted to Chief Strategy Officer at Disability Lead.
Civic Positions
Bernardo Gomez (Fellow, 2024) was selected as a 2025-2026 Obama Foundation Leader.
Recognition/ Speaking
Tim Granzow (Fellow, 2024) published his second book, “Serving While On The Spectrum: The Story of An Autistic Clergyman”.
“I am elated at the opportunity to share my story with the world as a clergyperson living and thriving with autism. I believe it is significant in that in many religious and spiritual spaces, autism is seen as something that is evil and needs to be ‘prayed away’; I hope my story can serve as notice that one can live and thrive with a disability in all spaces.”
Carol Lipari (Member,2025) earned her Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.
“Earning my Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Learning in Organizations was a commitment to asking better questions and challenging my own ideas about leadership.”
Will Corcoran (Fellow, 2025) earned the Grants Management 101 certification from PEAK Grantmaking.
“Disability Lead helped empower me to feel capable of taking on the course and speak up during class sessions on things such as accommodation practices in grant reporting.”
Networking
Guadalupe Pinzon (Fellow, 2025) participated in the W.K Kellogg Foundation THRIVEFest Visioning Session.
“Participating in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation THRIVEFest Visioning Session was an exciting opportunity to share ideas and feedback on making the event inclusive and engaging for youth participants. I appreciate that Disability Lead values different styles of leadership and connects members to opportunities where their perspectives matter. This experience has led to my continued involvement with W.K. Kellogg initiatives, including the Every Child THRIVES Host Committee, and I look forward to contributing further to these community-centered events.”
Justin Houcek (Member, 2025) connected with Lauren Schrero (Fellow, 2026) at Equip for Equality.