Kathy Carmody

Kathy Carmody is the CEO of the Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities whose members provide direct services and support to 24,000+ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Illinois.

The Institute promotes policy and practice that supports all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access services and resources to pursue valued and meaningful lives. Under Kathy’s leadership, Institute membership has tripled; the Institute became an ANCOR 100% member in 2023.

Kathy has four decades of experience in the Illinois and national I/DD arena, including leading research, demonstration and training projects which substantially improved the nature and quality of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has also served in C-suite clinical and operational management roles within an IDD community agency for 23 years.

This blend of policy, practice and research experience has provided a unique and robust framework for Kathy’s work at the Institute, where she is involved in a wide array of policy and practice issues affecting people with I/DD. Kathy holds several leadership roles on Illinois committees and task forces impacting the I/DD service system.

Kathy co-chairs several national SME committees focused on I/DD community services including the ANCOR Alternate Payer Model (APM) committee. She is a frequent speaker at the state and national level on topics impacting the I/DD service system, including quality metrics, alternate payer models, preparing community agencies for success in a changing landscape, national trends in I/DD services and person-centered planning and practices.

Kathy is the proud recipient of the ANCOR 2022 Diane McComb State Association Star Award for leadership in transforming the delivery of IDD services. She has a graduate degree in Social Service Administration and Policy from the University of Chicago and is a graduate of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware.

Kathy proudly began her career in IDD services as a Direct Support Professional at the Arc of Washtenaw County while attending Eastern Michigan University where she obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Outside of work, Kathy enjoys the amenities of living in a large metropolitan area while also retreating to the small community of Saugatuck Michigan.  She occasionally pars a hole on the golf course and enjoys riding one of the many bikes in her collection.