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Joe Chiappetta was named after his grandfather, the late Union Teamster Representative, Joe Chiappetta, AKA "Papa Joe."
Joe Chiappetta (the younger) has been a life long resident of the near west Chicago suburbs (North Riverside). He is a
Bible discussion group leader, former chess champion, wrestler, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity member, and Xeric Award
winner for the Silly Daddy independent comic book series. His friends call him Joeychips.
Joe Chiappetta graduated from Northern Illinois University in
1989 with a BFA in Visual Art. He began seriously painting in
1984, and seriously making comic books and zines in 1988. His
two decades as an entrepreneur and fine artist in the comic book
publishing industry have fully prepared him for his fulfilling
day job of helping job seekers with disabilities, since both arenas
are relatively foreign to the rest of society (even though about
1 in 5 people have a disability). He is also one of the founding
members of EmployAlliance WSCCI, which is a statewide Illinois
job developers' network that helps people with disabilities find
jobs. This workforce development experience landed him a job at
the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. There, he is one of the rare
breed leading the charge in helping businesses understand the
benefits of hiring workers with disabilities, under the disabilityworks
Initiative (The unemployment rate of people with disabilities
is 70%).
The 2004 Silly Daddy graphic novel would have
been considered his life's work, but of course more stuff will
happen to him! Since 1998 Chiappetta has been a Christian. As
a member of the Chicago International Christian Church, Joe currently
leads a Bible discussion group (Thursdays at 7:30 PM). Joe Chiappetta
and his wife Denise raise three children: Maria, Luke, and Anna.
Besides spending his time being a "Silly Daddy," he also enjoys
preaching, bike riding, science fiction, Bible study, and digging
deeper into the meaning of life.
<-- Back to Artist's Card
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