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The first annual Jackie Crews Excellence in Leadership Award was presented to Ed Turner at the New Voices "Our Lives, Our Vision" conference on October 6, 2005.

A native of Accomack County on Virginia's Eastern Shore, Ed was educated in the era before laws guaranteed children with disabilities access to a free appropriate public education. Under those circumstances, secondary and post-secondary education was extremely challenging, but Ed persevered, and his experiences inspired him to live his life fully and independently and to become an example and mentor for others.

After completing his education, Ed joined the staff of the Endependence Center in Norfolk, one of Virginia's first centers for independent living, as a peer counselor, and launched his career as an out-spoken advocate and community leader for people with disabilities. With an interest in expanding the reach of his advocacy for individuals with disabilities to live and work independently in the community, Ed later joined the staff of the Board for the Rights of People with Disabilities (now the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities). Then, in collaboration with a colleague who also has a significant disability, he co-founded Connections Plus Consulting, to promote disability rights.

Elected as president of a statewide cross-disability coalition in the 1980s, Ed began to work as a trainer and writer on disability rights and as a public policy advisor, particularly in the area of employment. Since then, as a member of numerous statewide advisory and work groups, Ed has played a key role in helping individuals with disabilities exercise choice in where they live and in expanding opportunities for their employment. In his current position as a training associate with Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention, Ed continues to expand opportunities for the employment of people with disabilities, specializing in workplace accommodations and the use workplace personal assistants.

Aware of the importance of the participation and visibility of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life, Ed has also been active in the political arena. His work with Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine on various public service and disability-related initiatives led to his appointment in 2006 as the Governor's Special Advisory on Disability Issues.