C. Richard Costes

C. Richard Costes' is honored to be appointed to the Commission on Equity and Inclusion by Governor Pritzker. He has spent the last decade fighting for accessibility for disabled communities in the nonprofit sector.

A devoted advocate for marginalized groups, Richard joins the CEI after working for two years at Communication Service for the Deaf, a constellation of companies that provide products, programs, and services that are designed to create opportunities for deaf people to succeed. Before that he worked for six at the Association for Corporate Growth, the premier global community for middle-market M&A deal-makers and business leaders focused on driving growth. He has also spent nearly a decade as a accessibility consultant for various arts organizations throughout the country; speaking on panels and providing organizational feedback to make their companies more inclusive to both people with disabilities and people of color.

Richard graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts and he currently serves on the board of the National Theatre of the Deaf, is a member of both Disability LEAD and the 3Arts Artist Council.