RECAP: 2019 Maryland Leadership Institute

Graduates of the 2019 Maryland Leadership Institute

The DDA and The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware hosted the Maryland Leadership Institute at the Maritime Institute Baltimore in November. A group of leaders from DDA provider agencies attended the weeklong training to gain the skills and values needed to shift from congregate services to individualized, person-directed support services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Maryland Leadership Institute emphasizes positive individual, team, organizational and systems-level transformation so that leaders leave better prepared to effect positive change within their organizations and for the ultimate benefit of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

“The Maryland Leadership Institute is always an amazing week. Participants often arrive unsure and even a bit skeptical. Without exception, they leave a week later with renewed energy and excited to put into practice the innovative ideas they’ve embraced,” said Nancy Weiss, Director of the National Leadership Consortium. “They go back to their organizations with a network of colleagues who often become a lifelong circle of support as each participant begins the tough and exhilarating work needed to create stronger organizations, meaningful change, and better lives for the people they support.”

This is the fifth institute the DDA has hosted with The National Leadership Consortium. Since the first Maryland Leadership Institute held in 2017, 200 disability professionals have completed the training. The DDA is the only state in the country that provides full financial support for people to attend the institute.