Mitchell transitioning from SIRS leadership
SIRS announced that veteran president and CEO, Kelly Mitchell, will be transitioning from SIRS to begin a new opportunity to continue her transformative and compassionate work supporting Indiana residents with disabilities as the new Associate Director of the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services in the Family and Social Services Administration, effective July 12. Kelly has led SIRS as President & CEO since 2003.
“I want to congratulate Kelly on her new role as the Associate Director of the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services for the State of Indiana,” the chairman of SIRS’ Board of Directors, Brian Schwenk, said. “The State of Indiana has obviously recognized the inspirational leadership and deep commitment that Kelly has demonstrated throughout her entire professional career. Kelly has been widely recognized as a strong leader and advocate for persons with disabilities, and a trail-blazer in evolving the service model to a truly person-centered, community-based suite of services. I, and the entire Board of Directors, believe that all of Indiana’s communities will now benefit from her vision, leadership and unwavering advocacy in support of individuals with disabilities.”
“This is a bittersweet moment for me,” Mitchell said. “SIRS has been my professional home since 1987. I am proud of all of the progress we have made as an organization and, more importantly, of the individual and societal advancements we have helped to foster and effectuate during my tenure with SIRS. I am very much looking forward to bringing that passion and commitment to a genuinely forward-thinking Administration and to continue my work on behalf of all individuals with disabilities, their families, employers, caregivers and communities throughout the state of Indiana.”
SIRS’ board has begun the process of identifying future executive leadership for the organization and will make an announcement regarding an appointment in the near future. SIRS’ vice-chair of the board of directors, Tracy Graham, said, “All of the consumers of SIRS’ services can be confident that the organization has emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever. The organization has strong internal leadership, dedicated employees and a great depth or organizational resiliency. We look forward to introducing new leadership in the near future and, in the interim, all of our consumers, employees, volunteers, partners and communities can be assured that SIRS will continue to be a strong agent of positive change for many years to come.”
Southern Indiana Resource Solutions, better known as SIRS, is a dynamic non-profit organization supporting individuals with disabilities to lead fulfilling lives in their community of choice. The organization was founded in 1968 through the grassroots efforts of local parents of adults with disabilities. Today, SIRS provides a wide range of person-centered services to approximately 700 individuals, employs 250 people and contributes approximately $6M to the economies of 5 counties in Southern Indiana.
SIRS remains committed to the full participation of individuals with disabilities in our local communities. SIRS operates under a philosophy of full inclusion and self-determination to all persons served.For more information, please visit www.sirs.org or contact SIRS at info@sirs.org or (812) 897-4840.
