Board Member Biographies (cont'd.)
Thomas Brennan, Board Member & Special Consultant
Thomas Brennan has been an attorney with the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office for the past 13 years. Tom originally represented children as an attorney and guardian ad litem. For the last eight years, he has represented the Cook County Public Guardian in the administration of the personal and financial estate of hundreds of disabled adults and elderly individuals. Tom received his B.A. in economics from Loyola University at Chicago in 1991 and his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in 1994. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and was the Chair of the CBA Elder Law Committee. He has presented at the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education in the area of Special Needs Planning in Divorce. While Tom brings his accounting expertise to OCI, he also provides comedic relief to long meetings. Mr. Brennan is a member of the Flying Buttresses, an improv group in Chicago.
Alan Kooperman, Board Member
Alan Kooperman is a retired public high school social studies and industrial arts teacher, with a Masters Degree in Vocational Education & Work Evaluation. Throughout his career he has helped high school students gain a better understanding of how our government works by sponsoring student programs, including trips to Washington, D.C. Alan has taught valuable vocational skills to students in auto mechanics class and has always been an advocate for vocational programs for youth. OCI has utilized Alan’s mechanical knowledge in refurbishing bicycles as part of our bicycle donation program. He believes every person who wants a bicycle should have one, as riding bicycles is fun, good exercise, and an inexpensive and environmentally-friendly form of transportation. Alan joined the board of OCI in 2008. In addition to his work for OCI, Alan works part time as a real-estate agent helping his beautiful wife with her thriving business.
Carrie Fung, Board Member
Carrie Fung has served as an attorney in various divisions for the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office since 2001. As attorney, she has advocated on behalf of disabled adults and children in foster care. Carrie was a Child Law Fellow at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law and graduated in 2001 with a Certificate in Child and Family Law. Prior to law school, Carrie completed her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in social work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was a Research Associate for the Foster Youth Project at the University of Illinois and evaluated national and state laws and programs on independent living and aftercare services for foster adolescents. She has published articles and presented nationally in various areas regarding foster adolescents and their transition to adulthood. Carrie donates her time to creating and maintaining OCI’s website.