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Blumenthal named executive director of ADDP
By Jennifer Roy/Daily News staff
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - Updated: 12:59 AM EST
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WALTHAM - A former Kansas lawmaker and member of the Clinton administration has been named executive director of the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers.
Gary Blumenthal, 53, said he has been active in developmental disabilities his entire career because his younger brother is autistic and mentally challenged.
"Because of the lack of services in his life, I became active in this field," said Blumenthal, who served on the Kansas legislature for 11 years before being appointed executive director of President Bill Clinton's Committee on Mental Retardation.
Blumenthal, who recently moved to Sudbury from Kansas with his wife and their 22-month-old twin boys and 5-year-old son, said he will begin work at the Waltham-based organization Feb. 1.
"I learned (about the job) through friends and advertisements," he said. "I was eager to apply."
The ADDP comprises 102 agencies statewide that provide support for 32,000 people with disabilities. Its mission is to promote the social, political and economic well-being of community organizations that support people with developmental disabilities and their families.
The organization was started more than 25 years ago as the Mental Retardation Providers Council, said co-founder Diane Iagulli.
"They thought that was not the most appropriate name," she said, adding it has long since been changed to the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers.
Iagulli said the ADDP works primarily with the state Department of Mental Retardation.
"It was formed initially to work on issues that affected providers, as well as people we support," she said.
William Sprague, chairman of the ADDP board of directors, said the organization looks forward to "tapping Blumenthal's expertise."
"(He) has the depth and breadth of experience needed to bring the ADDP to the next level as a voice for direct-support providers in Massachusetts," he said.
Blumenthal has also served as executive director of the Wichita, Kansas, Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, and as CEO of Florida Protection and Advocacy Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities.
He has also held the position of executive director of Johnson County Developmental Supports in Kansas, and executive director of the Alta California Regional Center in Sacramento.
"2007 will prove to be a pivotal year for providers of services to Massachusetts citizens with developmental disabilities," Blumenthal said. "A new governor and new administration will open up great opportunities for receiving the recognition and support so aptly due to our field."
For more information, visit www.addp.org.
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