About the Collab

is an author, podcaster, proficient procrastinator, and current ASL interpreting student. She spent nearly a decade working with various Development Disability nonprofits, for both adults and children. Inclusion and advocacy are two very important parts of her life, not just from a professional standpoint, but a deeply personal one, as members of her family navigate the world of disability and accessibility. After completing a BA in psychology, she had to step away from hands-on work in the developmental disability field and has shifted her focus towards becoming an ASL interpreter. She plans to pursue a masters in counseling to be able to bridge a gap in services for mental health care and the Deaf community. Katherine hopes to help the steering committee reach further into the western suburbs and provide cultural access outside of Chicago’s borders.

Katherine joined the Steering Committee in 2023.

Memorable Cultural Experience: Getting a chance to visit DC for the first time in 2022 is easily the top of my list. Not only did I get to explore a few of the Smithsonian museums and art galleries, such as the National Museum for the American Indian and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, but it provided me a chance to connect with the Deaf community close to Gallaudet. The museums were great… but Mozzeria, the Deaf-owned pizza place may have been better.

is a long time resident of the Chicagoland area, Abby holds a Bachelors Degree in English and the Humanities from Valparaiso University, where she attended the Christ College honors program, and a Masters of Fine Art in Screenwriting from DePaul. Abby’s career experience lies in both formal and informal education at institutions across Chicago, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Chicago and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. She currently serves as the Senior Learning Specialist for Teen Programs at the John G. Shedd Aquarium, where she sits on the Learning Department’s Accessibility working circle. In her free time, Abby also occasionally works as a photographer specializing in portraiture and event photography, and sings with the Windy City Performing Arts Treble Quire.

Abby joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: I was recently lucky enough to visit the Indianapolis Zoo, where in an unplanned interaction I got to touch the hindquarter of an elephant. It almost brought me to tears. To be in such close proximity to an animal so enormous and of a species so vital was deeply moving. When I think about the value of experiences in museums and in the cultural sector, I think about those moments with the power to foundationally change a person – that’s why these institutions are so important!

is the Chief Operating Officer at the Poetry Foundation. Before joining the Foundation in 2023, Jenny spent 5 years as the Vice President, Finance at the Obama Foundation and seven years as the Vice President, Controller at the John G. Shedd Aquarium. Prior to working at the Aquarium, Jenny spent nine years as an auditor in the not-for-profit industry. Jenny is based in Chicago and has a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University; she is a CPA and a member of the AICPA and IL CPA Society.

Jenny joined the Board as treasurer in 2022.

Memorable Cultural Experience: Growing up in Central Illinois, I didn’t have access to a lot of museums. I remember many visits to the Saint Louis Zoo. I’ve always loved animals and try to visit zoos and aquariums when I can. Getting to feed an octopus was one of my favorite memories!

is the Director of Retail and Events at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois where she oversees the Special Events, Facility Rental, Food Service, and Retail departments. She has worked in museums in both Chicago and Washington D.C. since 2006 creating memorable and fun experiences for visitors that connect them to the unique story of the organization.

Anna has been a Steering Committee member since 2015; she served as Co-Chair from 2017-2022. Since 2018 she has served on the Board as Secretary.

Memorable Cultural Experience: Growing up in southern California, my mother took my sister and me to the Madonnari festival every year at the Santa Barbara Mission where dozens of artists used nothing but chalk to create truly stunning works of art on the pavement. Their skill fascinated me – especially when I compared their work to my own sidewalk “masterpieces.”

Bringing Chicago together around the intersection of disability and the arts was Christena’s main aim as she started Cultural Access Collaborative in 2013. Having over a decade of experience in cultural accessibility from a variety of cultural organizations, including the Metropolitan Museum and Lincoln Center, she currently serves as Assistant Director of Disability Services at Adler University. Thanks to her brother who has Down syndrome, cultural accessibility became her passion as they visited museums and attended plays together. Christena speaks internationally about cultural accessibility, especially the importance of establishing a local access knowledge network in one’s own community.

Christena served as a Steering Committee Co-Chair from 2013-2021. Currently she serves as Board President.

Memorable Cultural Experience: My fourth grade class studied From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which involves two kids running away from home and living in the Metropolitan Museum. Our class slept over at our city’s art museum (Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum). It was magical to live like the characters in the book for a night!

is a specialist on accessibility with over a decade of experience in program management and communication. Her background in universal design and public accessibility combined with her personal background of identifying as someone with a disability give her a unique skillset to connect individuals with needed services, while also empowering them to advocate for themselves.

Throughout her career, Whitney has aimed to ensure that public and institutional spaces are made readily accessible to all. In her role with LCM Architects and previous position at the Institute for Human Centered Design, Whitney partnered with government and private entities in conjunction with the Americans with Disabilities Act to meet and exceed standards for equal opportunity in accessibility. In addition to these roles, Whitney serves as Founder/Director of SPORK!, a 501(c)3 non-profit/website that provides ADA User Testing and serves as a creative voice for the Disabled community.

Whitney has been featured in Crain’s Chicago Business as one of their 2022 Notable Black Leaders and Executives. Whitney aims to continue her pattern of advocacy in Illinois as elected member of Governor Pritzker’s Blind Services Planning Council, Board Member at 3Arts, and as a Fellow (2020) and Member at Disability Lead. She is also a newly appointed member of Equip for Equality‘s Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Advisory Council. Additionally, Whitney is the former Chair of Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) ADA Advisory and the CTA Wayfinding Subcommittee.

Whitney joined the Steering Committee in 2023.

Memorable Cultural Experience: My first experience with really connecting and communicating with others was through the visual arts. As a child growing up in Dallas, TX with numerous disabilities that ranged from speech disfluencies to learning/mental disabilities, I always found my outlet in expression through painting and design – what I could create through the arts was both therapeutic as well as a way to engage with people on a personal level. The greater part of my adolescence has been working within the art community while the greater part of my adulthood has been merging my affection for the arts community with my passion for the disabled community. Being a part of the Cultural Access Collaborative Steering Committee and organizations like 3Arts is truly an honor and childhood dream come to realization.

is currently working as coordinator of ASL interpreting and staff interpreter at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At both institutions, she has worked to make interpreting more effective and promoted awareness of how access affects all participants. Before balancing two academic jobs, Amy spent 15 years in full-time community interpreting in Illinois, with an emphasis on supporting arts and cultural institutions. She is sought out as a designated interpreter in STEM environments. With a focus on building a more sustainable infrastructure for interpreters, Amy has collaborated with the Illinois chapter of RID as an advocate for professional development standards.

Amy joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: I felt wonder at every visit to the Chicago museums as a kid: first grade field trips to the Shedd aquarium, summer adventures in Brookfield Zoo, stepping into the walk-through heart at the MSI, the glittering Nutcracker ballet. And then I saw The Music Man. I was always told I talked too fast, but when the curtain went up those salesmen pattered back and forth faster than I ever could and they got a standing ovation. It cemented my love of theater and helped me realize how important it is to see yourself in art.

is a filmmaker, film festival organizer, and accessibility advocate based in Chicago. Originally from Minnesota, she moved to Chicago to attend film school at Columbia College Chicago. Mikaela is deeply invested in the growth of the Midwest film industry, educating filmmakers on how to make their work more accessible, and creating more opportunities for disabled artists.

Drawing on her background in film production, Mikaela served as the Operations Manager for the Chicago International Film Festival for four years, where she led the development of the organization’s accessibility practices and helped establish its Accessibility Advisory Committee. She now works as a freelance filmmaker, accessibility coordinator, and event planner.

Mikaela joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: I feel incredibly fortunate when I reflect on the rich cultural experiences that have shaped my life. From exploring my local forest preserve and nature museum to the shared joy of watching a film with an enthusiastic audience, these moments have left a lasting impact.

One of my earliest memories of engaging with culture in this way came during a school field trip. Each student designed and carved a letter of the alphabet, which we then used on an old-fashioned printing press to create our own unique prints. That hands-on experience, blending creativity, history, and community, still sticks with me today.

currently works as Senior Director of Planning for Black Ensemble Theater after serving as Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer at Chicago History Museum. Prior to that, as Shedd Aquarium’s Senior Director of Exhibits and Experience Development, she spearheaded the kickoff and development of their award-winning Accessibility program. She is an avid traveler and museum-goer, having visited more than thirty countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and now loves traveling with her husband and two young daughters.

Kris was on the Steering Committee from 2015-2019. She joined the Board in 2019.

Memorable Cultural Experience: was watching my daughters’ joy while they explored the Performing Arts Museum in Stockholm, filled with interactive and creative elements.

is a queer disabled non-binary artist located in Chicago, IL, where they are a doctoral candidate in the Disability Studies program at the University of Illinois, Chicago. They graduated with a BFA in Photography in May 2013 and a MA in Social and Cultural Pedagogy with a Certificate in Disability Studies in May 2021 from Arizona State University. Their work explores disability and queerness in conversation with crip and queer theory, often utilizing artistic and media narratives to investigate queer disabled ways of knowing and lineages. Recently, they have presented at the 4th Annual Yale Symposium on Disability about access in the arts, as well as the Women and Gender Studies Consortium on cripistemological poetics and archives. 

Due to the ways Bri experiences disability and growing up in a disabled household, access and care work have been woven into their lived experiences. Bri is curious about the complexities of accessibility, including how conflict, communication, and intimacy collide with the need for flexibility, fluidity, creativity, and negotiation. Since moving to Chicago, Bri has participated in and supported access care work with various organizations such as Bodies of Work, Access Living, and Long COVID Justice. Finally, Bri is particularly interested in the ways accessibility can be an inherent part of arts-related experiences, both for creatives and for those in the audience. 

Bri joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: In Fall 2023, a few weeks into moving to Chicago, my partner and I attended a Disability and Art Pride event that took what I was reading about access and put it into practice. While I had seen access and care work in action before this was on a new scale that was exciting to witness. 

is a justice advocate who seeks to make change by shifting access to power and influence. As the Director of Civic Engagement and Marketing for Disability Lead, she propels the organization to realize its vision to have people with disabilities lead with power and influence. By identifying and developing strategic partnerships, Risa positions Members to take on leadership roles that advance their careers, civic engagement, and equity for people with disabilities. By integrating this vision into all internal and external communications, she leads Disability Lead’s brand awareness, public and private Member programming, and community engagement and outreach. She is also a Disability Lead Member.

In 2020, she also participated on the Disability Inclusion Fund’s grantmaking committee. Previously, Risa was Program Manager at The Chicago Community Trust where she developed their disability inclusion priorities and practices and managed several disability inclusion initiatives including the Disabilities Fund, ADA 25 Advancing Leadership, and ADA 25Chicago. With the Disabilities Fund, Risa supported a rebrand and strategic plan redesign that resulted in a 500% increase in annual grantmaking for which she acted as the program officer. During 2015, ADA 25 Chicago leveraged the25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act to move the spirit of the law forward. This included engaging and supporting over 200 partner organizations’ commitments and events.

She has consulted for organizations to increase their disability inclusion including the University of Indiana Kelley School of Business, Institute for Nonprofit Professionals, and has spoken at conferences including the Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability, Unity Summit, and Upswell Conference.

Risa is passionate about the arts and serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium as Treasurer. Risa received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.

Risa was a Founding Steering Committee Member in 2013 prior to co-leading the Steering Committee as a Co-Chair 2017-2021. Currently, Risa serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors.

Memorable Cultural Experience: I had to be about 7 when my parents took me and my younger brother to Madison Square Garden to see Crosby Still Nash and Young. I remember thinking that it was so cool and weird at the same time watching all these hippies and former hippies rock out all night (way past my bedtime). That didn’t stop me from standing on the chair and rocking out as well – minus the lighter and other hippy equipment, of course.

was born and raised in Chicago and has been a lifelong participant in informal arts education programs, fostering a passion for the arts, accessibility, community, and museums. Alejandra currently serves as Associate Director of K-12 Student Experiences at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she has worked to establish a growing bilingual (Spanish/English) program, co-develop virtual and onsite student programs highlighting accessibility, and mentor a cohort of educators leading K-12 student experiences with a focus on serving Chicago Public Schools. Throughout her years of museum education experience, Alejandra has also created accessible and bilingual programming for multigenerational audiences at the Children’s Museum of Denver, Denver Art Museum, and Clyfford Still Museum in Colorado.

Alejandra joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: My first exposure to museums was as a child participating in the community summer program at the National Museum of Mexican Art, which was just a few blocks from my home. It opened my eyes to the arts all around me and helped me realize that the arts were a part of me too. 

 is the Exhibitions Project Coordinator at the Obama Foundation and coordinates a variety of projects with a focus on graphics, art management and fabrication for the upcoming Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. Within her current role at the Foundation, she has led working groups, councils, and other efforts dedicated to accessibility. Daria has always cared for the arts, cultural heritage, and representation with inclusive design and accessibility in mind, because she recognizes how exclusionary the world is. She continues to learn and build her skill set to be an ally, advocate and asset for inclusive design and accessibility within cultural institutions. In her spare time, Daria is an avid museum-goer and aspiring fashionista who enjoys hosting game nights, cooking, reading and crafting.

Daria joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: My grandpa has continued to instill a sense of travel in me since I was very little. My most memorable was traveling to MoMA in NYC as a middle school graduation present. I got to view The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh up-close. It was the first tangible moment of seeing such an iconic artwork outside of a textbook. That made me realize how special museums and other cultural institutions are as third spaces and by providing unique experiences for people. 

is the Chief Creative and Operating Officer at Bridgewater Studio, where he leads strategy, design, fabrication, and media production across a diverse range of projects. Previously, he served as Director of Planning and Design at the Obama Presidential Center and Director of Exhibit Project Management and Operations at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.

Chris has spent his career at the intersection of storytelling, technology, art, and science, bringing world-class experiences to audiences of all kinds. His work spans multiple disciplines and mediums, taking him to 22 countries and across North America. He has created hundreds of experiences for museums, corporate environments, theater, film, television, special events, and theme parks.

Chris’s fascination with technology-supported storytelling began early, and his technical expertise comes from hands-on experience. In his early career, he was an accomplished artisan and technician, with experience as an automation programmer, electrician, rigger, welder, woodworker, and pyrotechnician. He received an Emmy Nomination in 1991 for Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects.

Chris joined the Board in 2024.

Memorable Cultural Experience: My first trip to the Smithsonian at age 7 sparked my passion for shared experiences, spatial storytelling, and the power of scale as a tool for engagement.

is the Senior Director of Public Engagement for the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, the non-profit arm of the Garfield Park Conservatory. She leads the Public Engagement team to provide meaningful and experiential learning for adult visitors and participants, community members and volunteers. She’s worked in various roles with the organization over the past 15 years including volunteer coordination, teaching classes, managing programs and now directing the department.

For the past 5 yaers, Mattie also has served as the Accessibility Coordinator for the organization. Working across departments, in this role, she works to ensure programs and events are inclusive and accessible. She has enjoyed learning from CAC over the years and sharing that with colleauges. She looks forward to finding more ways to make the GPC more accessible and sharing what she has learned along the way as well.

Mattie joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: A trip to the Grossology exhibit in middle school stands out. As a child, I was always curious about science and how things worked as a kid, however my focus was typically drawn to plants or insects. The Grossology exhibit, if you’ve never been, includes different facets of the human body – how things work in the gut, what different organs are meant to do, and – what really caught my attention – was how things smelled. As an early teen with a changing body, this exhibit was both gross and enlightening, getting to know things like how underarms can get stinky which is natural and happens to everyone! This exhibit highlights for me how museums can take complicated material and make it approachable and relatable for all ages, and engaging while people learn. 

works as the the Accessibility and Inclusion Coordinator at the Lincoln Park Zoo. She also is an actor, writer, director, theatre educator, cultural institution practitioner, disability consultant and 500hr Registered Yoga Teacher. Melanie is a proud member of actor unions’ AEA and SAG-AFTRA. She has directed and written theatrical works for multiple performing arts companies, and interactive museum exhibits. As an accessibility consultant, she has provided inclusive guidance for film productions, museums, theatre companies and performing arts schools. Melanie holds a BA in Theatre from SUNY Potsdam and a MA in Physical Acting from the University of Kent Canterbury. She is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC).

In her spare time, Melanie likes to drink tea, read books, and bake vegan treats. She is also a full-time personal photographer to her dog, Finley. 

Melanie joined the Steering Committee in 2025.

Memorable Cultural Experience: In 2002, my Dad was assisting in afterlife care for a family member. On his day off, he took me to the International Spy Museum. We stepped inside an interactive, educational and captivating museum. We learned about spies throughout history and goggled at the spy gear. My Dad recalled the entire experience to the family member, detailing everything and enthusiastically showed me my new shirt with the logo on the front and “I Was Never There” on the back. Cultural institutions can bring relief in hard times and share our excitement of these institutions with the ones we love.