Marca Bristo was the founding president and CEO of Access Living from 1980 until her retirement in August 2019. She passed away from cancer September 8, 2019.
The former president of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), Marca worked with the broader civil rights community on the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Former President Clinton appointed her to chair the National Council on Disability (NCD), a role she held from 1994 to 2002.
She was the most recent emeritus president of the United States International Council on Disabilities. She was a member of the Obama Foundation Inclusion Council and co-chaired the Human Rights Watch Disability Advisory Committee. She served on the boards of Rush University Medical Center, Forefront, and the Ford Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Beloit College and another in nursing from Rush University.