Board Update

Equip for Equality welcomes two new members to its board of directors.

Recently elected Fred Friedman has demonstrated enormous commitment to advocacy for people with disabilities and the homeless.

"I want to make sure people with disabilities are in the room when decisions about them are made," he explains.

Fred - an attorney and former resident of the Clayton Residential Home, a private state-funded institution for people with mental illness - is the founder and chief organizer of Next Steps, NFP, a self-advocacy group for people with mental illness that was created last year. Fred has also served for several years on the Advisory Council for Equip for Equality's Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Program.

Fred is former chair of the Continuum of Care, a project to end homelessness in Chicago over the next 10 years. He has been involved with a wide variety of other nonprofit organizations as well, including serving on governing boards for National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago, The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Greater Chicago, and Thresholds.

"People with disabilities want to advocate for themselves on public policy issues," explains Equip for Equality President and CEO Zena Naiditch. "We are fortunate indeed that another self-advocate with vision and determination such as Fred is joining our Board of Directors."

Photo of Eric Schaal The election to the Board of Directors of Eric Schaal, corporate secretary and associate general counsel for USG Corporation, broadens the range of professional talent in Equip for Equality's governing body.

"As a parent of a daughter with spina bifida, and through his leadership at ISBA and the Chicago Bar Foundation, Eric has demonstrated his commitment to equal justice," said Zena Naiditch, CEO of Equip for Equality. "We are excited to have him as a Board Member."

Eric has extensive experience in nonprofit governance. He has served on the Board of both the Chicago Bar Foundation and the Illinois Spina Bifida Association (ISBA) since 2000. He is currently serving as ISBA's vice president. Eric is also a former president of the Chicago Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association and former director of its national organization.

"I have been looking forward to becoming involved in a legal advocacy organization for people with disabilities," Eric explains, "and I have great respect for Equip for Equality from my past experience. I look upon serving on Equip for Equality's Board of Directors as a great opportunity to help people with disabilities."

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