Letter from the Chair of our Board of Directors
announcing AccessPoint RI’s new President & CEO
March 30, 2022
Dear Family and Friends of AccessPoint RI,
Happy Spring to you and your family!
For me, Spring has always been a time to welcome and celebrate new beginnings. By the end of April, I always feel hopeful for what will come in the Summer and Fall. Here at AccessPoint RI (APRI), we are welcoming a new beginning and we have lots to be hopeful about.
The APRI Board of Directors is excited to announce that we have hired Tracey Cunningham-Martins as our next President & CEO. Tracey will be taking over for longtime President & CEO Thomas Kane. Under his leadership, the organization has grown and now serves close to 1,000 children and adults annually. We are forever grateful to Tom for his hard work and dedication to our organization and to individuals living with IDD.
We participated in a comprehensive search process and interviewed many qualified candidates over the past several months. We were highly impressed with the caliber and experience of the applicant pool, but Tracey continuously impressed the search committee throughout the entire process. At our March board meeting, Tracey was unanimously selected by the Board of Directors to be the next leader of APRI.
Tracey comes to us with over 30 years of experience working in the IDD field. She has dedicated her career to ensuring that individuals living with IDD have the tools they need to live meaningful lives in their communities. She has held various positions across the field including as a direct support professional, in leadership roles, and as an administrator. Most recently, Tracey held the position of Associate Director of Employment with the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals. She holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and two master’s degrees; one in Rehabilitation Counseling and the other in Strategic Management and Innovation.
Tracey’s first day is May 2nd, and she is excited to meet you all. I know you will agree that Tracey is the perfect fit to lead AccessPoint RI into its next chapter. APRI will be hosting various opportunities to meet Tracey this Spring and Summer so please be on the lookout for announcements online and in the mail.
The families that we serve inspire us every day. It is truly a privilege and an honor to work side-by-side with you and your loved ones. With Tracey at the helm, we are hopeful that this next chapter will be full of great opportunities for APRI. Thank you for your ongoing support and for placing your trust in us. We can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter for AccessPoint RI with you all soon.
Warmest regards,
Elissa O’Brien, APRI Board Chair