Christy Blakely is currently the Director of Family Voices in Colorado.  The Family Voices Chapter advocates on behalf of Children with Special Health Care Needs throughout the state.  Christy worked as a Parent Advocate at Health Care Policy and Financing, from July 1998-Aug. 2000.  Her work was funded through Robert Woods Johnson, Health Care Strategies. The parent advocate position was unique placing the parent, of a child with a disability, within Medicaid.  Christy's other positions have included: Project Participate through  JFK Partners working on, , a grant to bring about inclusion for children with significant disabilities through the use of assistive technology and Easter Seal Colorado, Assistive Technology Lab, under the Assistive Technology Project.

Christy is the parent of a young adult with significant disabilities.  Lauren, now 24 years of age, was born prematurely.  While Christy had higher education degrees in special education when her daughter was born, she learned far more as a parent. Over the years, Christy has teamed with insurance companies, doctors, schools, advocates, professionals, therapists, hospital staff, and state agencies to improve policies and practices on behalf of children with disabilities.  She has learned and shared her learning in assistive technology, service systems, insurance, policy, law and most importantly resources and funding with many people around the State of Colorado and the country.

Christy has work nationally with the National Initiative for Child Health Quality (NICHQ) as a faculty on both a Medical Home Learning Collaborative and an Epilepsy Collaborative. She has also worked with the American Academy of Pediatrics on the concept of Medical Home.  Whether through her work in health policy or supporting an individual family to navigate today's complex health system, Christy's passion is to build parent leaders for the future.

Christy and her husband, Todd, are the proud parents of Lauren (24) currently attending Metro Community College pursuing a certificate in Not-For-Profit Management and Allison (23), a graduate of Northwestern University in journalism, currently employed by CNN in Atlanta.  Todd is an attorney at Sheridan Ross, PC in Denver, specializing in intellectual property law.