Board of Directors

Laurie Williams

Laurie is the founder and president of Collaborative Community Housing Initiative. Laurie and her husband Rick have one adult son Zachary, who inspired them to form CCHI. Laurie is leading this grassroots movement for inclusive living options with a group of volunteer families and stakeholders throughout the country.   By collaborating with educators, organizations, housing specialists  and urban planners, CCHI is encouraging public dialogue regarding inclusion, as well as creating space for community problem solving regarding affordable housing for people with I/DD.   By researching and visiting various living models around the world, they learned that creating neighborhoods where everyone can thrive is possible!  Laurie is committed to building a more equal, diverse, inclusive and welcoming community for people of all abilities.  In addition to working full time as a Corporate HR Director and Recruiter, Laurie is involved in the National Fragile X Association as an event organizer, speaker and mentor.  

Susan Hudkins

Susan is a retired CPA, business owner and certified autism consultant with over 25 years of experience in the area of disability parenting, professional services and advocacy. She has worked as a volunteer, board member and officer with many non profit organizations that serve both adults with disabilities and youth in middle and high school. Her current advocacy and training focuses on ensuring and enhancing disability rights and life choices for the adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Self-directed inclusive living for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is her passion.  She also enjoys running, reading and spending time with her family and friends. Susan and her husband Jeff have 3 adult children, including two sons with developmental disabilities, and two dogs that lovingly occupy most of her time

Anthony Bilotti, Ph.D.

Anthony has advised government and private sectors in the planning and implementation of health and environmental initiatives, property redevelopment, and educational curricula during his professional career of 40 years. He is an Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He was also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has served on municipal and county planning commissions, and boards of professional societies. Anthony and his wife Emma Kowalenko enjoy involvement with the community and have been active volunteers in civic and community organizations. 

Carole Rosen, MAID, CAPS

Carole served on the Community Housing and Inclusion and Executive Committees of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. Her diverse background in advocacy includes serving on The Going Home Coalition, The New Trier Township Funding Committees and organizing community wide events promoting affordable community supported housing. Her driving belief is that Community is strengthened by diversity and whether the issue of community housing and inclusion is analyzed from an ethical or economic viewpoint, it is crucial that current living situations for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities innovate and change.  In addition to her Masters of Interior Design degree, she is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist with additional coursework in Universal Design.  She is an award winning photographer with work shown in numerous regional and national photography exhibitions. Carole and her husband, William, have a daughter who has developmental disabilities and a son.

Carolyn Beckett

Carolyn has over 30 years of experience in disability parenting and advocacy. Drawing on her Business Management and Human Resources Benefits administration experience, she has worked collaboratively with her community, school boards, and various organizations to effect change and expand opportunities for individuals with disabilities to lead more inclusive and independent lives.  Carolyn led an effort to implement PACE Dial-a-ride service in Shields township; she worked to facilitate a partnership between NSSRA and Lake Forest CROYA;  she was a founding member of a non-profit organization of parents of special ed students in Lake Bluff and a social organization for adults with disabilities; she served on the NSSRA Parent Advisory board and Lake Bluff school caucus. Carolyn and her husband, Kelley, enjoy playing tennis and golf, fishing, boating, and spending time with their three adult children, their spouses, grandson, and two dogs, Hops and Barley.

Colleen Kelty

Colleen is a Senior Vice President/Treasury Strategy Manager at First Bank Chicago.  She works with Middle Market clients to assist with their daily cash flow and treasury management.  Colleen also works at the bank to review products and services offered and makes recommendations for enhancements.  Prior to joining First Bank Chicago, Colleen was a Managing Director at CIBC US running the Treasury Management Sales Department.  She graduated with honors from University of Illinois and received her MBA from Northwestern’s University’s Kellogg School of Management with a concentration in Marketing, Management and Organizational Behavior.   Colleen and her family live in Elmhurst.  She owns The UPS Store City Centre in Elmhurst with her husband.  She serves as the Secretary for Autism Speaks Chicago and has been on the board for over five years.  Colleen recently joined Collaborative Community Housing Initiative in 2020.  She enjoys working out on her Peloton, baking and reading.  

Ed McManus

Ed, first and foremost, is the dad of Laura, who has cerebral palsy and lives with a roommate and a live-in caregiver in a condo in Wilmette, a few blocks away from Ed and his wife Ellen.  Ed spent 18 years with the IL Dept. of Human Services—as an attorney, Home-Based Services coordinator and regional manager.  He retired in 2011 and created McManus Consulting, which is one of the six statewide organizations representing providers of services to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities.  Earlier in his career he was an editor and reporter at the Chicago Tribune, an assistant Cook County state’s attorney, and executive director of the Wisconsin ACLU.  He is the secretary of the New Trier Township Democratic Organization and formerly was national president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a peace/nonviolence organization; president of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago; a board member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers; and an elected member of the Wilmette Dist. 39 School Board.

Tom Giannini

Tom is a real estate developer and owner of a construction company that builds residential and commercial properties. He has over 25 years of construction experience and has successfully completed projects in Illinois, Ohio and Florida. Tom’s expertise is identifying real estate to purchase, arranging financing, designing and building projects, and marketing them. He has a passion for great design and architecture as well as keeping up with the latest building trends and innovations. Tom’s work has been praised by renowned architectural critic Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune. Tom received a degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University, and prior to venturing into real estate, he was a controller for a manufacturing company. In his free time, Tom likes to spend time with his partner Jennifer and teenage daughters, travel and read historical nonfiction.