Illinois e-News Release

Karen Tamley will continue to serve as a Member of the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Tamley currently serves as President and CEO of Access Living—a Chicago-based non-profit organization serving people with disabilities. Prior to becoming Access Living’s CEO, Tamley served in the cabinet of three Chicago Mayors as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. As Commissioner, Tamley advanced accessibility across Chicago and oversaw the delivery of services to thousands of youth and adults with disabilities. Over the past two decades, Tamley has served on a wide variety of government and nonprofit community boards at the national, state, and local levels. In 2016, President Obama appointed Tamley to serve on the United States Access Board, which develops national accessibility guidelines and standards, and she was elected as Chair in 2019. She is a current board director at Forefront, an organization building a vibrant social impact sector in Illinois. In 2015, Tamley helped found Disability Lead, a Chicago-based non-profit that works to cultivate and advance emerging leaders with disabilities into positions of influence. Tamley earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkley.