STORIES FROM PAST & PRESENT LEADERS
Kathy Blocher Cron: ‘We all come to the table with our gifts’
Jim PALMER: AWS 'Historian' grew technology with company
Audrey Riley: Great leadership, vision built AWS
Don Seely: A passion for “what matters most”
Bill Swiss: Success anchored in 'best of Both Worlds'
Kathy Blocher Cron
AWS Pioneer helped transform, expand vocational rehabilitation.
Everything was changing fast. Kathy Blocher Cron’s new employer had just changed its name from Community Coordinating Center for Rehabilitation and Health Services to Anthony Wayne Rehabilitation Center and vocational rehabilitation was starting to take off.
A new graduate from Purdue University with a degree in mental health, Cron was AWS’ 18th employee and working for a hard-charging boss who didn’t know the meaning of “no.” The year was 1974.
Read the rest of Kathy's story.
Jim Palmer
AWS 'Historian' grew technology with company
Most AWS colleagues know Jim Palmer as Director of Information Technology. However, during our 50th anniversary year, he bears another title: Company Historian, as AWS’ longest serving employee of 27 years.
AWS hired Palmer as a consultant in the spring of 1983 to get the new off-the-shelf “Peach Tree” accounting system up and running on the company’s first computer.
Audrey Riley
Former AWS board head lauds company leadership
When Audrey Riley began serving on the AWS Board of Directors in 1989, the annual budget totaled $6 million. When she rotated off the Board in 2002, the budget exceeded $40 million.
During her two six-year terms, including a mandatory year off in between, AWS expanded services to South Bend, Indianapolis southern Indiana and to several parts of Ohio. Services included residential, day services, and vocational rehabilitation.
Read the rest of Audrey's story.
Don Seely
Former board member focuses passion to help others
During Don Seely’s tenure on the AWS Board of Directors, Title XX fund were dwindling and the organization needed to find new avenues for financial support.
“Federal money was simply drying up. We had to look for other sources to fund the operation,” he said.
Seely, other AWS Board members and AWS staff began to analyze AWS strengths and weaknesses and realized AWS was excellent at evaluating individual skills, testing people for vocational rehabilitation, training for life skills and writing grants.
Bill Swiss
AWS’ success anchored in ‘best of both worlds’
In this interview, AWS President Bill Swiss reflects on the company and industry during AWS’ 50th anniversary year and his 25th year as AWS president.
The foundation of AWS’ success lies in merging two “best practices” models and hiring good people, believes Bill Swiss.
“We’ve combined sound business practices with mission-driven care and quality processes in serving people with disabilities,” he said. “We’ve also had very good people run our programs.”
Read the rest of Bill's story.