The Resource Center holds Annual Meeting, Election

Dr. Dawn Columbare was re-elected the chair of The Resource Center’s Board of Directors during the agency’s General Membership Meeting, held at TRC’s administrative office building on Dunham Avenue in Celoron.

Also re-elected as officers for the Board’s 2026-27 term were Dr. Todd Jacobson, vice chair; Lisa Goodell, secretary; and Marie Carrubba, Esq., treasurer.

Elected to two-year Board terms were John Felton, Robert Goold, Gwen Loomis, Barbara Stewart, and Dan Tota.  Felton, Goold and Stewart were re-elected to their Board seats. Loomis, retired Controller at People Inc., and Tota, Director of Edgewood Communities at Lutheran, are joining TRC’s Board for the first time.

Elected to the nominating committee for The Resource Center’s 2027 election were Kathy Constantino, Dr. Kathleen Gradel, Dr. Jessica Gugino, Rebecca Hamlet Kapple, and Amy Pembridge.

In her report to the membership, Dawn said The Resource Center’s accomplishments in the past year included experiencing an increase in its number of employees as well as an increase in the number of orders from the federal government within Allied Industries, TRC’s manufacturing division.

In her treasurer’s report, Marie noted that The Resource Center ended 2025 with a positive financial result that included no audit adjustments. This marked the 11th straight year this has occurred.

In her report, Chief Executive Officer Denise Jones talked about the history of the disability rights movement in New York State. She discussed the creation of The Arc New York in 1949, which occurred as a result of a New York City mother placing a newspaper ad to see if other families were interested in starting a daytime nursery to care for their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Resource Center, founded in 1958, is the Chautauqua County chapter of The Arc NY.

The meeting began with a presentation about changes The Resource Center has made to its training program for direct support professionals, who make up the majority of TRC’s workforce. Michele Albaugh, Director of Staff Learning and Development, said the changes give new employees a more realistic perspective of the tasks they’ll be performing in supporting people with disabilities. As part of the new curriculum, TRC will create a classroom containing a kitchenette, a dining area, a bedroom, a bathroom, and laundry facilities.

The meeting was the final one as a board member for Timothy Adam and Donna Haenggi. Donna served on the Board from 2013 to 2019 and again from 2020 to 2026. Tim had served on the Board since 2020.

The Resource Center is a not-for-profit organization that supports people with disabilities and other challenges in Chautauqua County. For more information, phone 716-483-2344.

Pictured from left are Timothy Adam; Denise Jones, Chief Executive Officer; Donna Haenggi; and Dr. Dawn Columbare, Board Chair. The Annual Meeting was the last one as Board members for Donna and Tim. In appreciation for their years of volunteer service, they were presented with gifts from Denise and Dawn on behalf of the entire TRC organization.