Our Organization
A message from the Chairperson…Dear Riverside Community, As most of you know, after 35 years of service Deb Thomas will be retiring as President of Riverside on September 28, 2012. We are thankful to Deb for her many years of dedication and especially for her forward thinking and inspired leadership over the past 4+ years. The Board of Director’s has nominated a committee that will be responsible for selecting the next President of Riverside. The process will be much the same as the one undertaken 5 years ago when Deb was selected. The committee consists of members of the Board of Directors, community leaders, parents of clients and Riverside staff members selected by their peers to represent them. The committee goal is to conduct an inclusive and transparent process to select a President who will maintain the current culture within Riverside as they lead the organization successfully into the future. During the month of February a job posting will be placed and the screening and interview selection process of potential candidates will begin. We hope to select the new President by June so they may begin the transition with Deb in August of this year. We will keep you posted on our progress but if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at 527-4111. With Regards, Lynn Starr …and from the PresidentI feel blessed to be a part of Riverside and to work with such talented and caring people. When I took the position of President, I made a five-year commitment. My retirement date is September 30, 2012, 8 months from now. I feel very confident in the knowledge and experience of our team members. I know Riverside will continue to be a well-managed organization which provides excellent services. Our good work starts with the people who directly provide the best to the people we support. Their work has been examined by both state and national accreditation organizations, and Riverside has been awarded their highest levels of distinction. Riverside’s succession plan for my replacement has focused on “growing the managers”. In light of the intense scrutiny of entitlements, in particular Medicaid, both in Washington and Boston, one goal of this plan is to position Riverside so that the next President will be freed from some of his/her day-to-day operational activities, and will spend more time engaged in non-governmental business development and fund-raising pursuits. During the past few years, the program managers were assigned more complex organizational responsibilities. Supervisors were hired to carry-out some of their former tasks, which were more directly related to client services. All have had tremendous success in mastering their new assignments! Riverside is in GREAT shape throughout! Deborah Thomas, MSW, MEd. |
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