As a Grassroots project advocacy fellow, Carole’s work is driven by a passion for systems change and building community capacity through inclusion, accessibility, deinstitutionalization, and supportive housing. Carole has extensive expertise in grassroots coalition building, organizing, and advocacy on the local and state levels. Her skill set includes empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have past lived experience in state-operated centers to share their stories. Carole also has deep experience of working with coalition members skilled in areas such as legislative advocacy and voter registration and accessibility.
Prior to joining HSRI, Carole served as the director of Going Home Coalition and REV UP Illinois in her role as an advocacy program specialist at The Arc of Illinois where their work addressed the complexities of Illinois’ developmental disabilities system. Prior to that, as an appointee to the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD), Carole served on its executive committee and chaired the Community Housing and Inclusion committee.
The bright light that guides her work is her daughter who has complex physical and developmental disabilities, her son, and her husband. When not at work, Carole enjoys photography, collage-making, ebiking, hiking, power napping, and cooking.