La Puente, California Mar 20, 2023 (Issuewire.com) - SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRAINING CENTER (THE ROLAND CENTER) ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF ITS NEXT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The San Gabriel Valley Training Center (also known as The Roland Center) has announced the selection of its next Executive Director. The board has announced that the new Executive Director will be Dr. Thomas Buckley. He begins his duties on April 3, 2023.
SGVTC President Ron Roland noted, “We are very pleased to be welcoming a new leader with such deep and widely recognized experience coupled with his devotion to improving the lives of those with developmental disabilities. We look forward to many more decades of service to individuals and families who choose employment settings appropriate to their needs and desires.”
In response to his hiring, Dr. Buckley commented, “I am honored to join such a longstanding and essential resource for the intellectually and developmentally disabled community in Southern California. Employment is the cornerstone of all of our families' success and the stability and accomplishment of the Roland Center is unsurpassed.”
The Executive Director at SGVTC is responsible for the financial and operational administration of an established, not-for-profit, diversified adult vocational rehabilitation and service center. By capitalizing on the strong expertise and commitment of a highly capable and long-tenured staff and a stable governance structure, the new leader will help transform the agency as the field itself is changing. Through the facility, community-based, and virtual programming, SGVTC strives to continue its leadership in advocacy, community education, and direct client service. It operates sites in La Puente and Brea, serving both Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and attracts clients from a wide area who are offered tailored employment, evaluation, counseling, micro-enterprise, training, and placement to be able to work in their chosen fields. It has become a highly respected advocate and service provider and continues to innovate to remain a positive resource to individuals of all ages who are living with developmental challenges.
For more information, contact the San Gabriel Valley Training Center at (626) 968-8479.
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About SGVTC
SGVTC (the Roland Center) was founded 63 years ago on the premise that for those with developmental disabilities, just as with the general population, work is a meaningful and rewarding activity. All people want and need to earn a paycheck, and there is value in integrating with peers in the workplace environment. However, we are aware that while most adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and/or special needs can thrive in integrated community-based work environments (with or without job support), others are unable to perform at competitive employment standards or in integrated environments. These individuals still deserve the ability to be gainfully employed in work environments adapted to their needs.
SGVTC acknowledges and respects the overriding governmental impulse and the broader movement to direct funding exclusively to “integrated” work settings, and this approach is consistent with its philosophy of individual empowerment. The Mission of SGVTC is to provide and promote opportunities for adults with IDD to work and achieve their personal best, no matter the severity of the challenges they face. We have kept pace with philosophical and funding changes in our field, and are a leader in competitive integrated employment placement services, training, internships, and tailored services in our region. We are also fully engaged as a facilitator of supported employment. Employment support and opportunities are offered at our large, comprehensive site in La Puente, as well as in San Bernardino and Orange counties. The organization remains committed to being an advocate for those with all degrees of abilities and continues at the forefront of new approaches and activities for participants.
About Thomas Buckley, EdD
Since 2019, Dr. Buckley has served as the Director of Population Health at the Young Adult Institute (YAI) in New York City. Founded in 1952, YAI’s goal is to empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including dementia, and their families throughout New Jersey, New York, and California. The program, with a budget of 210 million, serves more than 20,000 individuals. In his role at YAI, Dr. Buckley served the mission of providing complex healthcare coordination between the organization’s five health clinics, residential, and day services.
Prior to YAI, the majority of Dr. Buckley’s 30-year career has been spent in Florida where he developed over 31 highly specialized group homes, apartment complexes, art studios, early intervention Charter Schools for children, dementia adult day medical programs, and day services for over 300 participants. Dr. Buckley developed the nation’s first specialized dementia services for people with Down syndrome in 1999, building two Alzheimer’s disease-capable group homes, caregiver support groups for young onset dementia, dementia care planning, and training for staff. Dr. Buckley was appointed by Florida’s governor as the Chair of the state’s Alzheimer’s Advisory Committee. Additionally, he is the recipient of grant awards from the US Administration for Community Living.
Dr. Buckley has volunteered on numerous boards over the course of his career, including serving his 21st year on the prestigious 10-member Board of Directors of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), ACCESS (“the voice of disability service providers”) chair of Health, Aging, and Dementia, and the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities. He also served as the Dementia Committee Co-Chair for the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
Media Contact
San Gabriel Valley Training Center dba The Roland Center *****@sstproductions.org 3233760815 La Puente 400 S. Covina Blvd., La Puente CA 91746 http://www.therolandcenter.org
