Marca Bristo is President and Chief Executive Officer of Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, one of the nation’s foremost disability rights organizations. She helped guide Access Living—one of the nation’s first centers for independent living—from its small beginnings into an organization with a budget of $4 million.
From 1994-2002, Bristo served as the Presidentially-appointed Chairperson of the National Council on Disability (NCD).
Ms. Bristo currently serves as Vice President for North America of Rehabilitation International, President of U.S. International Council on Disabilities and serves on the Boards of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, The United States International Council on Disability, and Citizen Action of Illinois Board. She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States; the Americans with Disabilities Act Award for her role in the creation and passage of the law; the Henry B. Betts Award. Ms. Bristo also was named by Chicago Sun Times as one of Chicago’s “100 Most Influential Women”.
Ms. Bristo holds two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Beloit College, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rush College of Nursing. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Bob Kettlewell, son, Sam and daughter, Madeline.
