My name is Emmanuel Sessegnon and I am the Co-Founder and President of the Workers with Autoimmune Ailments Alliance, an organization I started to protect the rights and dignity of people with autoimmune diseases and the immunocompromised. My main job is crafting legislation and presenting it to state and federal lawmakers to improve the lives of the autoimmune community.

This issue impacts me personally. When I worked at a consulting firm, I was forced to work in an office for 13–16 hour days despite having AIDS, as well as other illnesses caused by it. I know for a fact that better legal protections are necessary for people with these life-threatening illnesses. Hopefully, our work here can raise awareness and inspire action from policymakers to institute more protections for our community.

My name is Ashley and I live in Thousand Oaks, CA. I'm a medical social worker and have been in the field almost 10 years. I have always loved advocating for others. I didn't realize I would have to advocate for myself.

My autoimmune diagnosis journey started in 2014 and has been ongoing ever since. I wanted to come on board with WAAA, to assist in the fight for autoimmune diseases to become more recognized and to spread awareness not only in the workforce, but in the medical community, and society in general. As Awareness Director, I support our efforts in the media and on socal media. More importantly, I run our podcast, Chronic Convos, where I discuss with politics, go over current events, and interview activists and medical experts in the autoimmune community.

Hey everyone! My name is Will and I am the Fundraising Director for WAAA. I am 28 years old and a father of two amazing boys.

Family is the most important thing to me, which coincidentally is what inspired me to join this cause. My wife suffers from an autoimmune disorder and I have seen first hand the impact that a lack of accommodations for workers with these disorders can have. I am thrilled to work with an organization that has made it their focus to spread awareness and improve conditions for all. I look forward to meeting and working with each and every one of you!

Hello! My name is Gabe Gilmore. I'm from Florida and I am the Advocacy Director for the WAAA. I have around 5 years of experience working on political campaigns and leading teams to victory all across the country -- from my home state of Florida all the way to Texas, Nebraska, Idaho, and many other states.

I am excited to bring my years of experience winning campaigns to this team in order to get our legislative initiatives passed in Maryland, New York City, and beyond. The autoimmune and immunocompromised communities deserve an equal opportunity to participate in school, the workplace, and everywhere else.