On April 13, 2009 it will be my pleasure to become the next Executive Director of EMARC.  I have been privileged to spend most of my nearly thirty years in the human service field working at an ARC. One of the things that I appreciate most about the ARC movement is that its core mission is supporting family. This basic value is evident in the family centered advocacy and services offered, employment practices and how the organization engages with the community.  The more I learn about EMARC the clearer it becomes that this is an organization that has a long and esteemed history of providing the highest quality of services, family supports and upholding the ARC's primary mission.  I am very excited about joining this new ARC family.

My history working in this field dates back to 1971 when I did weekend relief for a group home operated by Rensselaer County ARC in Troy, NY. My next ARC position began in 1976 when I accepted a direct care position working in Albany County ARC's federally funded alternative day support program a precursor to our modern Day Habilitation program.  Over the next few years I collaborated with the Executive Director to develop the residential division for Albany ARC and when we opened the first group home in 1979 I became the Residential Division Director. In 1982 I accepted the position of Day Services Director for Orange County ARC in Middletown, NY. In 1988 I was offered the position of Executive Director for Matson Community Services which had been started by board members of ARC Community Services in 1973. In 1998 ARC Community Services found itself in need of an Executive Director so the decision was made to reunite ARC and Matson under one management and governance team. My formal education consists of an Associate's Degree in Human Services, a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a Master's Degree in Health Systems Administration. I very much value my direct care and middle management background as it provides me with a personal understanding of the challenges and joys of these positions. I believe this knowledge has served me well over the years as I have worked to refine existing models of service and developed new and innovative programming options.

 I look forward to working collaboratively with the individuals we support, their families, staff, board, volunteers, funding sources, business partners and the community to expand upon the great work that EMARC has done over these many years. Looking forward into the next year or two the economy will create challenges for the organization but I am confident in the abilities of the staff and the resiliency of the ARC spirit to meet these challenges head on and emerge a stronger and more vibrant organization. EMARC has a substantial foundation upon which we can build. The optimist in me believes that when one door closes that another door of opportunity will open. It is our job to find those new doors of opportunity.