Jenna White

Parent

Jenna White, MPH, RD, PMP is a public health professional, disability advocate, and mother to Clara, her daughter with a rare genetic intellectual and developmental disability. Jenna’s path into advocacy began not through her career, but through motherhood, navigating the emotional, complex, and often overwhelming world of disability diagnosis, care coordination, and community inclusion.

Guided by deep love for her daughter and her training in public health and epidemiology, Jenna became a driving force in Clara’s diagnostic journey. Today, she works to ensure other families feel less alone, more informed, and better supported as they navigate similarly complex systems. As a former U.S. Marine Corps spouse, Jenna relocated frequently and rebuilt Clara’s medical, therapeutic, and educational supports across multiple states, gaining firsthand insight into the barriers families face when seeking consistent, compassionate, and inclusive care.

Now based in Denver, Jenna continues her advocacy through the JFK Partners’ LEND Family Discipline Traineeship. Her work focuses on strengthening family well-being, sharing real-world strategies for navigating disability resources, addressing hyperphagia in developmental disabilities, and advancing lifespan-oriented care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Jenna speaks from both professional experience and lived reality. Everything she does is guided by her love for Clara, her deep respect for the disability community, and her commitment to building systems where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the families who support them, can live meaningful, fulfilling lives, belong, and be fully seen.

Senator Jeff Bridges

2025 Alliance Legislator of the Year

Senator Jeff Bridges represents South Metro Denver. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, and over his nine years of legislative service has chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, Finance Committee, Education Committee and was elected Majority Whip in both the House and Senate. Before joining the legislature, Bridges worked for Ken Salazar in the US Senate where he led work on bipartisan national security legislation that saved the lives of American military personnel. Bridges holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Harvard, and is a homegrown Coloradan who attended Littleton Public Schools. He lives in Arapahoe County with his wife AnnMarie, son Kit, and their floppy dog Walt.

Hannah Zorn

2025 Case Manager of the Year

Hannah Zorn is the Intake Case Manager Supervisor for Community Connections, serving the five counties of Southwestern Colorado for the past five years. She is the mother of two children with unique disabilities, an avid lover of the outdoors and the arts, and a committed advocate for equity and inclusion. Her work is grounded in compassion, lived experience, and a deep belief in the power of community.

Jonny Nelson

ANCOR’s 2022 Colorado Direct Support Professional (DSP) of the Year

Jonny Nelson is a seasoned Program Director with years of experience leading disability support services in Colorado Springs. He specializes in program operations, staff leadership, compliance, and client advocacy, consistently improving service quality and organizational efficiency. Jonny’s background spans day habilitation, residential support, case management, and community engagement, supported by multiple awards recognizing his commitment to exceptional care. He brings strong communication, problem‑solving, and organizational skills to every role, backed by comprehensive training.

Brent Belisle

2025 Advocate of the Year 

My name is Brent Belisle, I’m an individual who has cerebral palsy. When it came time to choose a career path, I knew I wanted my work to center around supporting people with disabilities.

This passion has led to nearly 27 years of work in the disability movement including seven years at the Arc-Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties. 

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My position at the Arc-JCC&GC is a Consulting Advocate. My job is to partner with an advocate or the advocacy team to help individuals get connected to support and get the help they need. My job is to make sure the people in your life listen to what you are saying. Also, I talk to self-advocates about my lived experiences as an individual with a disability. We will be working together.

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“I want to show people the abilities in disabilities, and I want to be a role model for people with disabilities, we can do whatever we want when we put our minds to it!”