Holly Connor is a parent advocate who has utilized her lived experience to support families in navigating the various systems in raising a son with autism and IDD. Holly has been an Exceptional Children’s Teacher Assistant and worked closely with children with various disabilities. Volunteering for various organizations like Family Support Network of the Crystal Coast, Special Education Alliance for Eastern North Carolina, Exceptional Families Military Program Advisory Board, and being a COPAA Seat 1 Trained advocate, Holly has over 14 years of experience in advocating for those with autism and IDD. Currently, Holly serves as the Chair for the Onslow Commission for Disability Advocacy, is a board member for the Down Syndrome Network of Onslow and Carteret Counties, and is the Onslow IDD representative for the Trillium Health Resources Southern Regional Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (CFAC). Holly also had the unique experience of being the first parent to be trained as a Family Navigator by Trillium Health Resources. This training led to Holly being the Family Navigator for Easterseals UCP NC & VA; currently she is the Lead Family Navigator and the IDD Family Peer Support Supervisor.

Holly and her family have proudly served our country through supporting her husband who is a retired United States Marine Veteran. Through their service, they had opportunities to experience various programs, systems, and gain a diverse perspective on how our world supports and sees individuals with disabilities. Holly feels that utilizing those with lived experience to help shape programs and systems will lead way to a stronger and more effective means in supporting those with autism and IDD.

Holly’s son Cody is an avid music lover who has utilized sound, movement, and technology to build a world where he feels safe and can express himself freely. Cody has utilized the Voices Together model through his high school’s Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), as Voices Together serves his school in Onslow County. Cody’s ability to hear and process music has always been a tool that has helped him maneuver a world that can often be overwhelming for him. Cody strives to be like his idols, The Wiggles. He wants to sing, dance, and share videos with the world to bring joy and happiness just as they have done for so many years.