Caroline Staerk is Equality Illinois's Field Director. Caroline also manages the Allied for Equality project, founded by Equality Illinois and PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois, which focuses on creating a network of advocates across Illinois, concentrating on straight allies.

Caroline brings grassroots organizing knowledge and passion to the field of LGBT rights.  She is a self-described “progressive” who works tirelessly on the issues in which she believes, such as health care reform, women’s rights, worker’s rights and so much more!

Prior to working on the Allied for Equality project, Caroline served with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organizing workers across the country, and eventually settling in Chicago with SEIU Local 73, where she organized public employees throughout Illinois.  She worked for the Americorps project in Maine, focusing on bringing middle school aged youth and the elderly together, as well as training high school youth on how to be future leaders.  She also worked in St. Louis for Missouri Pro-Vote on health care reform and state legislative races.

Caroline motivates and mobilizes Illinoisans from all different backgrounds and geographic areas to fully participate in the process of LGBT equality – moving people from apathy to action!  In particular, Caroline has been focusing on allies to the LGBT community, because every movement needs help from outside the affected group in order to achieve its goals (as our history apears to indicate).

As a direct result of Caroline's work, people from across Illinois have been calling and emailing their legislators, canvassing, joining Equality Illinois at rallies and festivals and have just plain been GETTING INVOLVED.  This just reassures Caroline's firm belief that each person can indeed make a difference!

Caroline grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and graduated from Ripon College in 2000 with a B.A. in Global Studies and German.