Comings & Goings: ANCOR Leadership Edition

Fall is officially here, which means it’s time for ANCOR and the ANCOR Foundation to welcome a new slate of leaders to the association who will begin appointed or elected terms to various governing bodies starting October 1. At the same time, we extend our deepest gratitude for the service of the individuals who are completing their terms of service to the association.

ANCOR Board of Directors

October 1 will mark the start of six new terms on ANCOR’s Board of Directors. Interestingly, however, none of the individuals beginning those terms are new to the Board.

Four of those six individuals were elected by ANCOR’s full membership to continue serving on the Board of Directors. Three of those individuals—Jon Fisher, Sevita (Massachusetts); Kelly Jepson, BrightSpring Health Services (Kentucky) and Zach Wray, Sunrise Community (Florida)—were re-elected by the full membership and will start their second terms on October 1. The fourth individual—Linda Timmons, Mosaic (Nebraska)—begins her first full term after serving out the remainder of a term that had been vacated by a former Director.

Additionally, two state association leaders have been elected by their peers to serve their first full terms after having served out the remainder of terms that had been vacated by former directors. Josh Rael, Alliance (Colorado), was elected by the State Association Executives (SAE) Forum to represent the Forum on the Board of Directors, while the SAEs leading 100% State Provider Associations elected Kathy Carmody, Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities (Illinois), to represent this important subset of the SAE Forum on the Board of Directors.

ANCOR Foundation Board of Directors

The ANCOR Foundation is the association’s 501(c)(3) charitable arm and is led by a group of exceptional leaders dedicated to supporting inclusive communities. Three new terms on the ANCOR Foundation Board of Directors will begin on October 1 following the recommendation of the Foundation’s Board and the approval of ANCOR’s Board of Directors.

Genevieve Fitzgibbon, Keystone Human Services International (Pennsylvania)—who has served on the Foundation’s Board since earlier this year following the retirement of a previous Director—will begin her first full term at the beginning of next month. At the same time, the Foundation will welcome Erica Buchanan, CADENCE of Acadiana (Louisiana) and Precious Myers-Brown, St. John’s Community Services (District of Columbia), as its newest Directors.

While we’re thrilled to welcome Erica and Precious to the Foundation Board, we must also say “see you later” to Patricia Browne, National Children’s Center (District of Columbia), who is completing her service to the Foundation as she looks ahead to retirement later this year. We extend our deepest gratitude to Patricia, both for the several years she has served as a Director and for the time she has spent in her current roles of Vice President and Secretary.

Patricia’s completion of her service to the Foundation Board means that the ANCOR Foundation will also be welcoming a new Executive Committee come October 1. Officers for the upcoming year include President Rita Wiersma, Accord (Minnesota); Vice President Marian Baldini, KenCrest (Pennsylvania); Secretary Cheryl Plank, Hope Haven Area Development Center Corporation (Iowa); and Treasurer Doug Golub, MediSked (New York). Congratulations to all our new officers and Directors!

ANCOR Board of Representatives

ANCOR’s Board of Representatives exists to liaise between the association’s leadership and its members in the Representatives’ respective states. Eighteen individuals were either appointed or elected by their peers in their states to join the Board of Representatives starting October 1. They include:

• Terry Combs, Center for Human Services (Missouri)
• Sarah Cummings, Dungarvin (Nevada)
• Danielle Darby, RCM of Washington (District of Columbia)
• Barbara Didona, Moore Center Services, Inc. (New Hampshire)
• Sara Drish, Arizona MENTOR
• Maxine Hartranft, Consumer Direct Care Network (Texas)
• Sarah Herbert, Consumer Direct Care Network (Virginia)
• Casey Gartland, West Bay Residential Services (Rhode Island)
• Erica Gessner-Burkey, Bridges of Wyoming
• Scott Good, Dungarvin (New Mexico)
• Sarah McClure, Milestone Decisions, Inc. (Idaho)
• Lindsay Menough, Overture (Wyoming)
• Jon Moore, Sevita (Texas)
• Heidi Trelease, Sevita (Nevada)
• Jodi Walters, Parker Personal Care Homes (Colorado)
• Janessa White, Consumer Direct Care Network (Montana)
• Ryan Whitmire, Developmental Disabilities Ministries (Georgia)
• Darryl Wood, Life Enrichment Advancing People (Maine)

ANCOR Leadership Development Committee

Last but not least, the development and appointment or election of each of the outstanding leaders mentioned above would not be possible without the dedication of the members of the Leadership Development Committee, which exists to develop a pipeline of future leaders within the association.

In addition to developing leaders to serve in these other roles, the Leadership Development Committee is itself welcoming four new or returning leaders to its ranks on October 1, including:

• Dotty Bell, RHA Health Services (Tennessee), who was reelected by the Board of Representatives to serve a second term on the Committee.
• Kathy Carmody, Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities (Illinois), who was appointed to her first term on the Committee by the Board of Directors.
• Matt Sturiale, Birch Family Services (New York), who was reelected by the full membership to serve a second term on the Committee.
• Chad VonAhnen, Johnson County Developmental Supports (Kansas), who was appointed to his first term on the Committee by the Board of Directors.

Congratulations and thank you to these 35 outstanding leaders—we thank you for your service to your national association!

Sean Luechtefeld, Ph.D., CAE, is Vice President for Membership & Communications at ANCOR.