Meet the SERN Board of Directors

Dave Porter, President

Dave is the Owner/Operator of Comp-Unique Inc., an adaptive technology development / training / consulting and technical support firm established in 1989. Dave has served as an Accessibility and Development Consultant for the following corporations: Henter Joyce, now Freedom Scientific; Microsoft; Intel Corporation; Fidelity Investment Group; Citigroup; J.P. Morgan Chase; The Chicago Transit Authority; The Sequoia Corporation of Australia (manufacturer of the current voting machines in Cook County); Google; Motorola Cellular Phone Division; among others.

Dave currently leads monthly accessibility webinars directed to visually adaptive technology end-users and trainers.  He also serves as an advisor on the Illinois Web Accessibility Committee; the City of Chicago Technical Assistance Accessibility Planning Committee; the NLs.ftb Technical Assistance Advisory Council; and the Illinois State Library Braille and Talking Book Advisory Committee. Dave is the coordinator of the SERN Business Mentor Project

Eugene “Gene” Oulvey, Vice-President

Gene is the Coordinator of Evaluation and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services for the Illinois Department of Human Services - Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Gene is a lead consultant and spokesperson for DRS on the Illinois Evidence-Based Supported Employment, now called the Individual Placement and Supports Initiative. He has served as a lead researcher and trainer on Evidence-Based Supported Employment for the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center and was commissioned to write a summary paper on national vocational services which became the chapter on vocational rehabilitation services in the SAMSHA publication entitled: “Work As A Priority: Employment Services for Persons with Severe Mental Illness Who are Homeless”. Gene holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Saint Louis University.

Marsie Frawley, Secretary

Marsie is a Senior Policy Analyst for Health & Disability Advocates and past President of SERN. Marsie has authored “The Ready for Business Guide: Self-Employment for People with Disabilities”. She also trains extensively on public benefits and work incentives for persons with disabilities, while providing technical assistance to the Work Incentives Planning & Assistance Project. Prior to 1998, Marsie worked as lead employment specialist for the Pioneer Center of McHenry County and as a job coach for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from North Central College and has completed graduate studies in vocational counseling at Northeastern Illinois University.

Eric Guidish, Treasurer

Eric is one of the three ILoan Program Coordinators for the Illinois Assistive Technology Program ( IATP ) www.iltech.org, a non-profit agency that promotes independence and self-sufficiency for all people with disabilities by way of assistive technology. He is one of the many coordinators for the many programs IATP offers, such as the device loan program, the demonstration center, the assistive technology classifieds, the on-site workshops and evaluations, the Homeownership Coalition, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance, the low interest rate cash loans for self-employment and home-based employment, and more. In addition, Eric serves on the Board of Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois and chairs its Employment Sub-Committee. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University with a degree in Business Administration and holds a certificate through Virginia Commonwealth University in Overview of Self-Employment for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities.

Ron Mulvaney

Ron Mulvaney is the WIPA Program Director for the Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP)/Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Project, which serves 67 Counties in Illinois. The WIPA Program serves individuals currently receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits interested in pursuing employment opportunities. Their mission is to give individuals the right information concerning Social Security Work Incentives, and the impact of employment upon any other benefit they currently receive, both state and federal. Prior to becoming WIPA Program Director, Ron served 25 Southern Illinois Counties as a Community Work Incentive Coordinator (CWIC) for the WIPA Program, and as a Benefits Specialist (BS) for the Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) Project. BPAO being the predecessor to the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program, both programs grant funded by Social Security. Ron was an Employment Specialist/Job Coach for the IL Department of Human Services/Division of Rehabilitation Services in Mt. Vernon, IL, before serving as a Benefits Specialist. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from Greenville College and holds certifications through Virginia Commonwealth University as a Community Work Incentive Coordinator and through Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute as a Benefits Specialist. Ron is honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the Self Employment Resource Network (SERN). 

Anita S. Overturf, CRSS

Anita introduced mental health recovery services to Illinois Centers for Independent Living (CIL’s) in 2004, at the Living Independently Now Center (LINC) in St. Clair County, where she worked as the Director of Outreach & Marketing until 2010. Anita is a State Certified Recovery Support Specialist; Certified Wellness to Recovery Action Plan Facilitator; Disability Legislative Advocate and a Peer Specialist Trainer for the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). She is a Board member and co-founded of the St. Clair County Chapter of the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) and collaborates with health providers throughout the Metro St. Louis area to promote the recovery and wellness retention. She has spearheaded events promoting mental health recovery and stigma reduction, including the 2007 DBSA Facing Us event, annual Erase the Stigma Conference, and the state-wide Say It Out Loud campaign project in St. Clair County. Anita was presented the 2009 Susan Kniffel Award for her commitment and leadership in the mental health community by the Metro East Consumer Leadership Council. She is a graduate of Arkansas State University and has 25 years of experience in broadcasting and marketing.