Please join us in thanking Katie Arnold for 10 years of dedicated leadership as the founding Executive Director of the Sibling Leadership Network (SLN). Having recently completed her Doctorate in Disability Studies, Katie will transition from SLN at the end of the year to focus on research related to people with disabilities and their families at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
The SLN was founded in 2007 to address the need for more focus on the experiences of siblings of people with disabilities. Katie’s passion about her work with people with disabilities stems from her experience growing up with her sister, Patrice, who has intellectual disabilities. Katie’s worldview and career path have been influenced by her sibling experience. Katie became the first Executive Director of the SLN in 2012. She took on the role as part of her full-time work at UIC while also going to school for her Masters and then PhD in Disability Studies. She successfully built the SLN as a national nonprofit forging key partnerships and bringing in funding to sustain and grow the organization. Through Katie’s strong leadership, the organization has grown to be a national leader for siblings of people with disabilities on support, research, and policy & advocacy. Katie’s passion, dedication, experience, and expertise have truly driven the growth of the sibling movement. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors!
