Jennifer Hodges and Mickey Whitesell go to Washington!
WASHINGTON, DC – Jennifer Hodges and Mickey Whitesell, both employees of Illinois-based Trinity Services, attended the ANCOR 2025 Policy Hill Summit held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill on September 8 – 9, 2025.
The 2025 Policy Summit and Hill Day invited members and friends of the ANCOR community to the Nation’s capital at a pivotal time. Recent threats to Medicaid, as well as other unprecedented challenges confronting people with disabilities and the services delivery system, made this an important moment to connect and advocate.
Hodges, a Residential Director for Trinity Services, was a recent recipient of the ANCOR Foundation’s Rising Star Mid-Career Impact Award, which recognizes mid-career professionals who support ANCOR’s mission through service and dedication to change in public policy or organizational practice. Whitesell, a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at Trinity Services for several years, received the ANCOR 2025 National DSP of the Year Award. Both accepted their awards at the ANCOR Connect 2025 Conference in San Diego last April.
Both Hodges and Whitesell had the opportunity to hear keynote addresses from two notable speakers, including The Honorable Tony Coelho, who served in Congress from 1979 to 1989, and who was the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act legislation in the House of Representatives and is widely credited as the chief architect of the landmark disability rights legislation. Jonathan Martin, a distinguished political journalist and seasoned CNN analyst and contributor to leading publications, including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, also delivered a keynote speech.
Hodges and Whitesell also had the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress. “It’s an important time to be on Capitol Hill to connect with congressional members and advocate for people with disabilities,” said Hodges, who also serves on the South Suburban Regional Human Rights Authority, the investigative arm of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. “It was an honor for Mickey and me to represent Trinity Services at a pivotal time in our Nation’s history.”
For more information about Trinity Services, go to www.trinityservices.org.
Photo: Members and friends of the ANCOR community pose for a photo on the Capitol steps on September 9, 2025.