Illinois professional joins 53 others in national-level recognition for outstanding support to promote community inclusion for people with disabilities
ALEXANDRIA, VA. – This morning, ANCOR—the leading national voice for community-based providers of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) services—announced the 54 recipients of its annual Direct Support Professional of the Year Awards. Headlining the 2025 lineup of honorees is Mickey Whitesell, a direct support professional (DSP) working for New Lenox, Ill.-based Trinity Services. This is the second time that a DSP from Trinity Services, which supports people with I/DD across the state of Illinois, has won this prestigious award.
Whitesell first started working as a direct support professional in 2020. A chef by training, he found himself unemployed when the restaurant where he worked closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his relatively short tenure in his new profession, Whitesell has developed a reputation as an innovative thinker and a relentless advocate for the people he supports, making it clear why he was selected for the workforce’s top honor from a record-breaking pool of 500 nominees.
Whitesell’s innovative approach to delivering support is evidenced in how he uses his experience as a chef to instill a passion for healthy eating and environmental sustainability among the participants in Trinity Services’ community day program. His nominators noted how Whitesell diverted old shipping containers from the landfill to use as planters and then taught people how to grow and nurture a sustainable garden. Now, his colleagues note, the people Whitesell supports are growing and harvesting enough vegetables to create robust culinary experiences, including pickling vegetables, canning soups and designing unique menus for community meals.
Whitesell’s creativity in the garden and in the kitchen is eclipsed only by his commitment to empowering people with I/DD to exercise their civil rights. In a recent election cycle, for example, Whitesell built a voting box and created mock ballots to ensure the people he supports were prepared for their experience at the polls. He also facilitated a trip to the county clerk’s office to help expand people’s knowledge of their voting rights and facilitate connections with their elected officials.
Notably, the spirit of advocacy exemplified by Whitesell extends beyond people with disabilities and includes advocacy on behalf of the direct support workforce as well. He can often be overheard encouraging other DSPs to contact their legislators and will be the first to raise his hand when there are opportunities to educate people in the community about the value of his profession.
Whitesell’s fierce advocacy comes at a critical time, given a longstanding recruitment and retention crisis in the direct support workforce. This crisis could be exacerbated significantly in the coming months as Congress weighs substantial cuts to Medicaid, the program that funds the vast majority of services delivered by professionals like Whitesell and the 53 others who will be honored on April 9.
“I began my career as a direct support professional, and so I have witnessed firsthand just how powerful a difference a qualified and committed DSP can make in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Lori Kress, president of ANCOR’s Board of Directors and CEO of Dungarvin in Mendota Heights, Minn. “But DSPs of Mickey’s caliber raise the bar on what it means to deliver world-class support. He is truly showing what it means to lead the way and I could not be more proud to honor him in San Diego.”
Barbara Merrill, chief executive officer for ANCOR, added: “One of the great honors of my work is hearing stories day in and day out about the magic that DSPs make possible as they deliver services that are nothing short of transformative for people with I/DD. It’s the very reason ANCOR began the DSP of the Year Awards program nearly two decades ago. But this year’s cohort of honorees truly shines—and it does so at a moment when we need to shine a spotlight on the critical role this workforce plays in making community inclusion possible. It is such an honor to advocate on behalf of professionals like Mickey and the dozens of other award recipients who exemplify excellence in person-centered care.”
Since 2007, ANCOR has presented the Direct Support Professional of the Year Awards with support from Morrisville, N.C.,-based Relias, one of the association’s Diamond-level National Partners. The annual awards program aims to recognize outstanding individuals who deliver long-term services and supports to people with I/DD. Throughout the year, ANCOR highlights the award recipients’ compelling stories to demonstrate the valuable role DSPs play in ensuring people with I/DD have access to the countless benefits of community life.
The full list of 2025 DSP of the Year honorees can be found below, and each of the award recipients are profiled in our digital magazine, Recognizing Excellence 2025. These honorees will also be celebrated during a ceremony in San Diego, Calif., on Wednesday, April 9, from 7:30-9:30 am PDT during ANCOR Connect ’25, the association’s annual conference. Members of the press interested in attending the awards presentation should contact Sean Luechtefeld, ANCOR’s vice president for membership and communications, at [email protected] or 571.207.9108.
National Direct Support Professional of the Year
Mickey Whitesell, Trinity Services, New Lenox, Ill.
Special Category Award for Leadership
Adella Altamirano, Sevita, Maryland Heights, Mo.
Andrew Woods, Fayette Resources, Uniontown, Pa.
Special Category Award for Person-Centeredness
Kellie Johnson, Johnson County Developmental Supports, Lenexa, Kan.
Special Category Award for Relationships
Daryllyn Ward, Living Resources, Albany, N.Y.
State Direct Support Professional of the Year Award Honorees
Alabama: Karen Tipton, Sevita, Montgomery
Alaska: Brian Ormond, South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services, Homer
Arizona: Brad Wimmer, Abrio Living, Phoenix
California: Kevin Salvador, Noah Homes, Spring Valley
Colorado: Mimi Yalew, Sevita, Aurora
Connecticut: Kevin Brandolini, Lumibility, Westbrook
Delaware: Regina Gitongu, Mosaic, Newark
District of Columbia: Barbara Smith, National Children’s Center, Washington
Florida: Britany Jackson, Sunrise Community, Cape Coral
Georgia: Toya Stinson, River Edge Behavioral Health, Macon
Hawaii: Ian Kow, Full Life, Hilo
Idaho: Hallie Beal, Milestone Decisions, Moscow
Illinois: Andrea Smith, BrightSpring Health Services, Murphysboro
Indiana: Rose Musgrave, Dungarvin, Chesterton
Iowa: Joseph Goltl, UI REACH at the University of Iowa, Iowa City
Kansas: Frankie Pelster, Rosewood Services, Great Bend
Kentucky: Vicki Eizenstat, A1 Case Management, Danville
Louisiana: Cheri Breland, BrightSpring Health Services, Mandeville
Maine: Shawna Ferris, OHI, Bangor
Maryland: Christal Lovelist, Penn-Mar Human Services, Freeland
Massachusetts: Vian Nieves, Advocates, Inc., Framingham
Michigan: Amari Bates, BrightSpring Health Services, Saginaw
Minnesota: Gloria Fahnbulleh, Hammer Residences, White Bear Lake
Mississippi: Josh Quichocho, Sevita, Flowood
Missouri: Samantha Brooks, Easterseals Midwest, St. Louis
Montana: LaJayda Clayton, Sevita, Billings
Nebraska: Danielle Kirlin, Mosaic, Omaha
Nevada: Diane Butler, Dungarvin, Las Vegas
New Hampshire: Nina Raymond, Aspire Living & Learning, Concord
New Jersey: Fatmata Bayoh, Dungarvin, Somerset
New Mexico: Elaine Bahe, Dungarvin, Twin Lakes
New York: Kelly Brewington, Living Resources, Albany
North Carolina: Earlean Rivers, Dungarvin, Warsaw
North Dakota: Nikki Gray, Sevita, Minot
Ohio: Osman Conteh, BrightSpring Health Services, Cincinnati
Oklahoma: Nikkita Lightsey, Dungarvin, Norman
Oregon: Maria Francisco, Dungarvin, Portland
Pennsylvania: Taniyah Nelson, Sunrise Community, Philadelphia
Rhode Island: Alicia Plante, West Bay Rhode Island, Warwick
South Dakota: Rhonda Fuhrer, Vista Care, Belle Fourche
Tennessee: Carolyn Osborne, Core Services of Northeast Tennessee, Johnson City
Texas: Jennifer Wells, BrightSpring Health Services, San Antonio
Utah: Scott Sims, Chrysalis, Cedar City
Vermont: Jillian Earle, Rutland Mental Health Services, Rutland
Virginia: Patrick Moriba, St. John’s Community Services, Annandale
Washington: Craig Sewald, Northwest Center, Renton
West Virginia: Shirley Ross, BrightSpring Health Services, Martinsburg
Wisconsin: Wesley Willcutt, Sevita, Chippewa Falls
Wyoming: Lindsey Couch, Sevita, Casper
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