Suzanne Aaron, CRS-A/D
Suzanne is an Information and Outreach Specialist for the Illinois Life Span program for Northern Illinois. She has worked and volunteered in the areas of disability advocacy and family support since 2008. She and her husband are the proud parents of a young adult with I/DD and Autism. Her passion is helping families access and understand services that are available to them so they are empowered to build an included and meaningful life with their loved one with disabilities. She is a 2018 graduate of Illinois Partners in Policymaking and has navigated disability services in the states of Illinois, Ohio and Indiana.
Senior Illinois Life Span Information & Outreach Specialist
Susan Agrawal, PhD
Susan is a parent, advocate, and writer who began serving as the Director of the Family-to-Family Health (F2F) Information Center in 2024, assisting families of children and young adults with disabilities and special healthcare needs to navigate the health care and disability systems in Illinois. She has lived experience through her daughter Karuna, who had multiple disabilities and complex health issues throughout her eleven years of life. Susan is the founder of MFTD Waiver Families and spent more than a decade advocating for children in the Medically Fragile Technology Dependent Waiver. In addition, she is an independent researcher on children’s Medicaid waivers and programs, including the website Kids’ Waivers. In the past, she has also contributed content to a wide range of disability organizations, including Complex Child Magazine and Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation. She holds a PhD from Northwestern University, where she used to serve as a Lecturer in Music Studies before switching her focus to advocacy.
Project Director, Family to Family Health Information Center
Ruth Aguilar, QIDP
Ruth has over fifteen years of combined experience advocating for people with disabilities. She holds a B.S Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology and Professional Graduate Studies in Non-Profit from Harvard University. Ruth’s professional experience stems from working previously in an ISC Agency and then as a Self-Directed Assistant serving the community with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Moreover, with her personal expertise as a mother of a teen girl with Rett Syndrome and Seizure Disorder, Ruth brings a wealth of knowledge to the families by assisting them in how to obtain services and understanding their options by being assertive, yet professional. Ruth is inspired by her husband and her daughter to be a servant leader who helps those around her without hesitation.
Senior Ligas Family Advocate
Samantha Alloway
Samantha is an accomplished and influential leader, known for her expertise in government relations, advocacy, and human services.
In her most recent role as Director of Government Relations for the Little City Foundation, Samantha demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. She led cross-functional teams and effectively aligned policy strategies and services to benefit the community. Samantha is also a member of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy, class of 2024. This prestigious membership highlights her commitment to personal and professional growth, and it positions her as a promising leader with a forward-thinking mindset for the state of Illinois.
Samantha has served as a CASA/GAL for Kane County, advocating for the rights of children in the foster care system. Additionally, she has worked as an advocacy coordinator and operations manager at Lazarus House, providing support to unhoused individuals. Samantha is also a certified Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault advocate through the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Academically, Samantha has excelled in her studies. She holds a certification in legal justice studies and achieved a remarkable 4.0 GPA, ranking in the top one percent of her class at Rasmussen University. Furthermore, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Sociology from Northern Illinois University.
As a mother of three sons, Samantha encountered a pivotal moment when her middle child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of three. This deeply personal experience has driven her to become a passionate advocate for disability rights. She has emerged as a highly effective and influential communicator, successfully engaging with families, participants, and legislators at both the federal and state levels. Her journey is a testament to resilience and triumph, having overcome cancer and becoming a lead canvasser for the American Cancer Society. This experience ignited her passion for advocacy and politics.
Born on the North side of Chicago and a lifelong resident of Illinois, Samantha has a deep connection to this state, and true passion and commitment to the I/DD community. Her unwavering belief in the power and possibility of change makes her an exceptional motivator. In this role, her mission is to revive determination and unity throughout our industry, while expanding The Arc’s mission across the state of Illinois!
Executive Director
Sebastian Aragon
Sebastian (they/them) is a student at College of DuPage for human services and social work and has a strong passion for fighting for what’s right. Whether it’s never letting someone sit alone at the lunch table to fighting for my own accommodations for my disabilities, they’ve never been afraid to push towards the mission we all share; to have a world of freedom to choose your life path and inclusivity towards the beautiful uniqueness of the people we share it with.
Legislative Assistant
Shakari Asbury
Shakari collaborates with organizations that focus on underserved communities and individuals with I/DD, among other duties. She keeps the team focused and in touch with diverse audiences, ensuring our materials are understandable.
Family Support Network & Family Advocate
Heidi Booth, MBA
Heidi creates marketing content across print, digital, and social media platforms. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and MBA with a concentration in Strategic Marketing from Northern Illinois University. As a mother of two daughters with disabilities, she is a dedicated advocate. Heidi is actively involved in national online communities for parents and caregivers, where she shares insights and support through blog contributions. Her work has also been published in local magazines.
Marketing & Communications Manager
Vicki Borlin
Vicki is a dedicated to helping families find resources that enable them to navigate the sometimes difficult world of raising a child with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. She holds a public relations degree from the University of Central Missouri. Vicki is also a 2023 UIC LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) graduate. She has a two children, one of whom has a genetic disorder, autism and special healthcare needs. Raising a child with disabilities spurred her to become her daughter’s biggest advocate and has taught her how to keep fighting for what is best for her children.
Illinois Life Span Information & Outreach Specialist
Annie Bruno, MSW, LCSW, QIDP
Annie is the Family Advocate for Central & Southern Illinois. She holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois in Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, as well as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional. Annie has over fifteen years of experience working with individuals with disabilities and their families. She has spent time as a Service Facilitator in the Home Based program and as an Independent Service Coordinator at an ISC agency. Annie has a background in consulting and is passionate about assisting families with navigating complex service systems and connecting to available resources.
Family Advocate Central & Southern Illinois
Faye Manaster, M.Ed.
Faye has been with The Arc of Illinois for over 13 years. Her unique qualifications include over forty years of professional experience in the areas of special education, family support, early intervention, and public health. Faye is the parent of an adult daughter who is deafblind, and has cerebral palsy. She became involved as a volunteer with Family Voices, Inc., our national umbrella organization, in 1992 based on her experiences as the parent of an uninsured child with multiple special healthcare needs.
Illinois Life Span Information Specialist
Troy Markert
Troy has worked at the Division of Developmental Disabilities and brings problem-solving expertise for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, working closely with our Advocacy Liaison.
Family Advocate Specialist
Jerin Olson
As a mother of four, including a child with disabilities, she has firsthand experience navigating the complexities of special education, healthcare, and community resources. These personal experiences have ignited her passion for advocacy and inclusion, driving her to support other families facing similar challenges.
Professionally, her background includes roles in childcare, family and community engagement in special education, and public service as a Village Trustee. In these capacities, she has worked to create nurturing environments for all children and has collaborated with families, educators, and community leaders to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to essential services. Her commitment lies in fostering equitable opportunities and building a more inclusive future for individuals with disabilities and their families.
Southern Illinois Family Advocate
Rio Goodwin Perez
Rio (they/them) is an artist, educator, and organizer who is passionate about creating equitable spaces.
Rio most recently worked to help develop the Home and Community Program at Arts of Life, an art studio for professional artists with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The Home and Community Program focuses its efforts on creating integrated arts spaces for people with and without disabilities by partnering with local arts centers. Rio previously wrote and designed social justice oriented elementary school curriculums for private schools in the Metro Nashville area.
As an organizer, Rio worked with Freedom Arts Collective, a group of local artists that provided artistic support for the worker’s rights organization Worker’s Dignity/Dignidad Obrera. They also organized with the Metro Nashville Educators Association on their Community Schools campaign. Rio also has extensive mutual aid organizing experience including leading fundraising and donation drives for families affected by the 2020 earthquakes in Puerto Rico.
Rio is an accomplished visual artist whose work has been shown throughout the United States including at the National Puerto Rican Museum of Arts and Culture and the Design Museum Chicago. They have had one solo show at the Chicago Center for Arts and Technology. Rio is an amateur archivist who studies their family’s dispossession from the island of Puerto Rico. Their artistic practice centers around forgotten and hidden histories, buried memory, colonization, and diaspora.
Rio offers a unique perspective as someone with lived experience as a disabled person. They believe strongly that disability advocacy efforts should be led by disabled people and their goal is to keep these voices at the center of the movement towards de-institutionalization. Their vision for the Going Home Collective is to foster and expand its diverse and resilient network of advocacy, building upon already existing infrastructure. They hope the Coalition will grow its work among communities who are the most marginalized and develop prospective advocates who have a desire to create systems change.
Going Home Coalition Director
Rocio Perez, MSW, LCSW,
CRS-A/D
Rocio is the current Director of the Illinois Life Span Program. She is a social worker and a certified resource specialist Aging/Disability. Prior to joining The Arc of Illinois, Rocio worked at several not for profits in the metro Chicago area.
La Sra Rocio es la directora actual del programa IL Life Span. Tiene sus credenciales como Trabajadora Social y especialista de recursos en el area de Personas de la Tercera Edad y/o Discapacidades. Antes de unirse al Arc of Illinois, Rocío trabajó en conocidas empresas sin fines de lucro en el area metropolitana de Chicago.
Illinois Life Span Program Director
Shirley Perez
Shirley is the Program Director of The Arc of Illinois’ Family Advocate Program and the Family Support Network. Ms. Perez has thirty-five plus years of advocating and collaborating with individuals, and their families living with disabilities. She is a business graduate of Metropolitan Business College and Kaplan University. She operated her own business, served on the board of directors for a provider agency for over thirty years, worked at an Independent Service Coordination agency (ISC) where she advocated for and assisted families in locating services by navigating the Illinois State system. In conjunction with the City of Chicago, Federal Home Loan Bank and The Illinois Housing Development Authority, she implemented a home-buying program for individuals living with developmental and physical disabilities. She has worked as a Special Project Advocate with the Illinois Life Span Project; met with families/guardians to explain the transition process and listen to their concerns as their family members’ transition into the community from State Operated Developmental Centers.
She currently serves on various Illinois Department of Human Services Committees including the Quality Care Board of Directors. She is a member of The Arc of the United States (The Arc), an active volunteer in both her community and church. She is the proud mother of an adult daughter (Tamekia), who lives in the community. Ms. Perez’s lived experience and her passion for advocacy is fueled by her desire to assist her daughter and other individuals living with disabilities reach their full potential and live a full life in the community. Her philosophy is, “everyone can succeed with the right supports!” She can be contacted at shirley@thearcofil.org.
Ligas Family Advocate Program Director
Family Support Network Director
Veronica Salazar
Veronica has been working in the field, serving both children and adults living with intellectual disabilities and their families for over 26 years. Her passion is to advocate for the individual’s needs as well as provide support to their families.
She is married and a proud parent of 2 young adults, Serena and Ramon. Her son blessed us with a granddaughter, Brooklyn, who is 4 years old and keeps our family on our toes!
Veronica also enjoys serving as a lector at Immaculate Conception-St Michael Church on the Southeast side of Chicago. She also serves as a volunteer, providing baptism preparation classes, co-facilitating, alongside her sister, Sandy. Her faith and family are her joy!
Bilingual Family Advocate
Becca Schroeder
Since joining The Arc of Illinois in January 2019, Becca has worked behind the scenes to ensure the programs and staff have the support needed to be successful and that the business runs smoothly. Among her many roles, she heads the training department with the goal of providing the best practices, key strategies, and resources for individuals, their families, and the professionals who support them. Becca also provides monthly grant reports and data, and manages the membership, development, and assistive technology programs. Prior to The Arc of Illinois, Becca worked at the McGaw YMCA Children’s Center as their Admissions and Data Manager. Working with CCAP and other funding agencies, Becca ensured all families had access to childcare. She enjoys traveling, reading, knitting, and attending concerts. She loves engaging with the community and in the summer, you may find her working at the Evanston Farmer’s Market.
Director of Development & Operations
Tiffany Steinhauser, M.Ed., CRS-A/D
Tiffany has been a special educator for 24 years in Central- Illinois. Advocacy is something that is close to her heart and has led her to spend her life teaching, advocating, and supporting parents. As an educator of children with disabilities for many years, she has found there to be a huge need for more family resources and supports.
Tiffany is a parent to two children. In her free time, her husband and she both enjoy camping and boating. She also enjoys reading and being outdoors.
Tiffany holds a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Quincy University (IL) and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Williams Wood University (MO).
Illinois Life Span Information & Outreach Specialist
Kim Swanson
Kim has previously worked at the American Cancer Society as a Senior Coordinator, supporting many events raising money for the fight against cancer, including athletic events and galas. She loves volunteering wherever needs to help make a difference. She has four grown children who live all over the country and loves to travel and spend time with them. Kim holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Advertising from Northern Illinois University.
Events & Outreach Coordinator
Gregory Walkington
Greg is an accomplished Operations Manager with 35+ years of experience in nonprofit leadership and program development, particularly as it relates to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Greg’s experience ranges from direct, hands-on training in life skills enrichment programs to managing supports for over 400+ people with IDD across four divisions, four congregate work sites, and over 20 community-integrated living arrangements.
Importantly, Greg has a very unique relationship to his work that drives his passion for advocacy. As a father of an adult child who has physical and intellectual disabilities resulting in high support needs, Greg truly understands the value of maximizing the quality of life through community involvement for people he supports by providing them with the necessary support structures to lead dignified and fulfilling lives.
Director of The Family Transition Project