Sent from Secretary Dimas:
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Melissa Wright has agreed to temporarily come out of retirement and become the interim Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). As a former Director of DDD, Melissa is uniquely qualified to step into this role. She worked her way up through the ranks of DDD over a 20 year period, serving as Chief of many of the Division’s bureaus during that time until ultimately serving as Director from 1999 – 2002. After leaving the division, she held several upper level administrative positions at IDHS including the Director of Operations for the Division of Community Health and Prevention and the Director of the Office of Business Services. She also served as my first Chief of Staff prior to her retirement in December of 2015. Please join me in welcoming Melissa back to the IDHS family. Her first day will be June 4th and she will serve as the Director until a permanent director is secured.
I would also like to take this time to congratulate Director Greg Fenton on his retirement from state service on Thursday, May 31st. I want to thank him for the important work he has done as the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities for the past three years and for his dedication to people with disabilities for a total of 36 years. One of the most important contributions he made during his tenure was leading the movement to Person Centered Planning for people with disabilities. This program focuses on outcomes that are identified by the person receiving services and delivered in a manner that reflects personal preferences and choices in collaboration with their guardian and family. Director Fenton has truly embodied our IDHS motto, “committed to treating people the way we wish to be treated”, and for that we are grateful. We wish you nothing but the best, Greg.
Meg Cooch
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
Meg@thearcofil.org