Board of Directors
We are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who represent the interests of the Association and work to help us carry out our mission and vision while adhering to our values. Our Executive Director oversees the daily operations of all our programs and services.
Statement from the president on behalf of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is a group of volunteers with a variety of knowledge and experience. Many of us have friends or family members who have developmental and/or other disabilities, and one of us is a self-advocate. Some of us are former educators and special education specialists. We have business and financial advisors, plus Board members with experience in the areas of law, social work, and advocacy. While we come from decidedly different backgrounds, we all have one important thing in common: we care deeply about the well-being of those in our community who have developmental and/or other disabilities, and their families. We passionately support the mission and vision statements plus all the core values of Community Living Sarnia-Lambton (CLSL), and work to advocate for both the organization of CLSL and its people.
We recognize the excellent work of our organization’s personnel. Their high level of professionalism is admirable. This has been especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, as everyone has worked together, going above and beyond to help keep the people we support healthy, safe, and comfortable. Our staff deserve tremendous credit for their efforts.
It is our Board of Director’s legal responsibility to support and protect the corporation of CLSL from undue risk; to oversee the operations within the organization and to support the Executive Director in his role. With the help of the people we support and their families, our staff, management, and community partners, we collectively create CLSL’s strategic plan. This is based on people’s knowledge and experiences, their creative visions, wishes and hopes for our organization’s future, and is a comprehensive list of goals along with measurable steps toward achieving them. The strategic plan is used as a guide to decision-making in CLSL and provides benchmarks for evaluating progress.
On a personal note, after serving on the Board of Directors for nine years, I became Board president at the November, 2020 AGM. Being new to the role, I am especially grateful for the support of our past president, Chris King, Executive Officers and other Board members, administration, and all our other agency staff. I am proud to volunteer with this outstanding organization.