JD Flynn has had mental illness most of his life, but didn't admit it until his early 30s, when he decided it was time to do something about it. After a decade-long career in emergency services as a paramedic, JD made the jump from the ambulance to the text editor. Since then, JD worked up to the title of Drupal Architect out of Chicago. He's active in the local Drupal community by helping to organize MidCamp, the Midwest Drupal Camp held annually in Chicago, and is a co-organizer of the Drupal Chicago Meetup Group.
His life was changed by OSMI (Open Sourcing Mental Illness), a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on opening the conversation on mental illness, which led him to telling his own story to as many people who will listen. As someone with mental illness who is not afraid to talk about it, JD has presented on the topic of Mental Illness in the Tech Community to local user groups, regional conferences, and national level events at locations such as MIT, UC Berkeley, Washington State Convention Center, Guaranteed Rate Field, and DePaul University.
When not speaking or coding, JD plays baritone saxophone in Windiana, a professional level wind ensemble out of Valparaiso, IN, and Michigan City Municipal Band, the oldest municipal band in Indiana that is currently performing its 151st season.