AARP Chicago and StoryCorps Present Listening OutLoud: A Celebration of LGBTQ Voices

Mary Anderson (she/her/hers) directs AARP’s strategy for the Northern Illinois region. She is responsible for overseeing AARP advocacy and outreach initiatives in Illinois and particularly in the Chicagoland area. Prior to her role with AARP, Mary was Managing Director with Mission + Strategy Consulting in Chicago where she provided strategic consulting to nonprofit organizations. As Executive Director for Stand for Children in Chicago, she led the establishment of a 501c3 and c4 public education reform organization as well as a Political Action Committee. Mary’s prior experiences include Senior Advisor for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, where she led the Attorney General’s critical issues campaigns. Mary served as Deputy Inspector General for Policy and Legislative Affairs at the Illinois Office of Inspector General; Senior Counsel for the Office of the Illinois Governor; Staff Counsel for Business Professional People for the Public Interest (aka BPI Chicago), and Staff Attorney for The Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless in Chicago, amongst others roles. Mary holds a Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law, Master of Public Affairs, Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University, and a Bachelor of Arts with High Honors in Political Science and Economics from Swarthmore College.

Maura Johnson (she/her/hers) has been with StoryCorps for the past seven years, where she has helped organizations to create storytelling and recording projects in their communities. She leads trainings with program partners across the U.S., including healthcare providers, libraries and other community organizations. Maura has a background in film and media and is currently a graduate student in Library and Information Studies at CUNY Queens College.

Amy Tardif (she/her/hers) is a two-time Peabody award winner, was formerly WGCU-FM Public Media’s Station Manager and News Director in Fort Myers, the first woman in radio to Chair the Radio, TV, Digital News Association (RTDNA), and she served five years on the Public Radio News Director’s Board. Tardif is a managing editor for NPR's Next Generation Radio Project. She’s a freelance fact checker for public radio podcasts, Latino USA, and Futuro Media Studios as well as a member of the PMJA Editor Corps. She’s spent many years as a reporter, host, and producer.

Kim L. Hunt (she/her/hers) is the executive director of the Pride Action Tank (PAT), a project of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), where she also serves as the senior director of Policy & Advocacy Operations. Ms. Hunt’s career spans the public, private, and nonprofit sectors with a focus on advocacy, community and organizational development, and leadership. She is the former executive director of Affinity Community Services, a social justice organization that works with and on behalf of Black LGBTQ people and queer youth. Prior to Affinity she co-founded and served as managing partner of O-H Community Partners, a management and strategy consulting firm. The early part of Ms. Hunt’s career was focused on urban planning, with emphasis on public transportation. Ms. Hunt is the receipt of numerous honors and awards, including induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. Her civic activities have included co-chairing the Equality, Equity and Opportunities Committee for the Pritzker/Stratton gubernatorial transition and being a member of the search committee for the Chief Administrator for Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago. She is currently on the planning committee for the OUT at Chicago History Museum program series and the advisory council for Willie’s Warriors, a leadership development program for Black women, named after civil rights icon Rev. Willie Barrow and is the co-host of OUTSpoken LGBTQ Storytelling, a monthly show in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Ms. Hunt has a bachelor’s degree in journalism, from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago.

Donald Bell (he/him/his) identifies as a 71-year-old, cisgender, pro-feminist, gay or SGL man, of African, Indigenous, and Scots-Irish roots. He is a third-generation native Chicago Southsider and lifelong White Sox fan. He is a charter member of what is considered the first “out “generation of LGBT+ seniors. And he misses the Chicago icons of his youth that he thought would never change: Marshall Field and Company, Sears Tower, Hancock Center, Museum of Science and Industry; and so life goes on...He is proud to share his story with you all as part of this AARP Chicago and StoryCorps experience.