In the News

EFE Honored by Chicago Hearing Society

More than 150 people were on hand for the Chicago Hearing Society's "Salute to Volunteers" held Nov. 12, 2002, at Excalibur in Chicago. The event honored people and organizations whose contributions enrich the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

EFE President and CEO Zena Naiditch (left) accepts Chicago Hearing Society award from Jill Sahakian, Executive Director

Equip for Equality was recognized for its outstanding advocacy efforts on behalf of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, including hiring of staff who are deaf, hard of hearing and/or fluent in American Sign Language. EFE was also commended for its recent efforts to improve access for people with disabilities who use Chicago Transit Authority services. =

EFE Weighs In on P&A Rights Protection of People with Mental Illness

President and CEO Zena Naiditch spoke on "The Role of State Protection and Advocacy Systems in Safeguarding and Advancing the Rights and Safety of Children and Adults with Mental Illness" for the American Psychiatric Association's Institute on Psychiatric Services, Oct. 9, 2002, at the Palmer House. Also participating in the seminar was Deborah Kennedy, EFE's Abuse Investigation Unit Director. Chairing the seminar was Daniel Anzia, M.D., a member of the Ethics Committee of the Illinois Psychiatric Society. =

Governor's Disability Transition Team

Tapped to serve on then-Gov.-Elect Ron Blagojevich's disability transition team were President and CEO Zena Naiditch, who served on the Human Services Disability Sub-Committee, and Legal Advocacy Director Barry Taylor, who was a member of the Civil Rights Sub-Committee. =

Kellogg School of Management

New EFE Board Chairperson Michael Parks and Zena Naiditch attended the Executive Program in Nonprofit Management sponsored by Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management from Feb. 2-4. Topic of the three-day seminar was "Governance: Accountability and Effectiveness at the Top." =

EFE'S Jossie Seelund Retires after 17 Years

Jossie Seelund has been advancing the human and civil rights of people with disabilities in Illinois for 17 years as EFE's Controller. Her recent retirement leaves a trail of accomplishments and personal commitment that will indeed be missed.

"Jossie has been a mainstay of our accounting department in a wide range of finance-related efforts," says President and CEO Zena Naiditch. "She always put forth the extra effort that demonstrated her dedication to the organization and caring for her staff."

EFE's Jossie Seelund Retires After 17 Years

Seelund's career has encompassed more than 40 years in accounting that culminated with her position as Controller. When she first arrived at Equip for Equality in 1986, the number crunch was done entirely on paper, so the first order of business was to research accounting software. She selected Microsoft Information Products for automating EFE's accounting system.

At the time of her retirement, she oversaw a budget of nearly $5 million and the fiscal welfare of 50 lawyers, advocates, public policy analysts, abuse investigators, managers and support staff. With an associate of science degree in accounting and business from Lincolnland Community College in Springfield, her accounting background was gained primarily in nonprofit and governmental environments.

She worked for PACT Inc. as its first professional Accounting Manager and, for five years prior to joining EFE, as Managing Accountant in the fiscal division of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission in Springfield. In 1994, she returned to school to earn her bachelor of arts degree from DePaul University.

Of her tenure at EFE, Seelund says, "It was a privilege to support the work of the remarkable people who do so much good making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities."

Almost recovered from a recent hip replacement, Seelund is seriously nursing the travel bug, which she hopes will take her to Palm Springs and Italy in the next year. She is not missing the 6 a.m. alarm to make it to work one bit.

We all wish her well. =

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