LaKesha Pettigrew is a parent of a young child with autism from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has her sights set on transforming her local community by increasing early identification of developmental delays and autism in underserved children.

With the support from her LEND program at the Waisman Center, LaKesha has recently transitioned from a career in health insurance to the disabilities field and currently works as Wisconsin's first Autism Family Navigator for quality improvement efforts outlined by a grant from HRSA. LaKesha is the 2017-2018 Virtual Trainee for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Network, where she works to enhance communication and community across the network's 3,000+ nationwide trainees.

LaKesha holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Finance and is a 2nd year LEND Family Advocate trainee at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Waisman Center. LaKesha recently completed Georgetown University's National Center for Cultural Competence Leadership Academy. This training, which emphasizes increasing leadership for cultural diversity and cultural and linguistic competence in networks that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has inspired her to gain more expertise in this field.