A Letter to Friends and Colleagues on My Retirement

With the honor and pleasure of 40 years in developmental services and the privilege of serving as Director of the Department of Developmental Services since 2016, I share my decision to retire the first of September. I am profoundly thankful to Governor Newsom for appointing me to this role and to Secretary Ghaly for his leadership and support.  I will always treasure this chapter in my career and the opportunity to lead this remarkable system of supports and services for individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families. 

During my 8 years as Director, the individuals and families that bravely shared their stories, their truth, their struggles and joys, have served as my North Star.  So many of you shaped my vision of what life can and should be for ALL individuals with I/DD. I am grateful for the dedicated and talented people at DDS, the regional centers and those who provide supports and who have worked collaboratively and selflessly to drive and embrace changes that have a positive impact on the lives of individuals and their families. Together, we closed all of California’s developmental centers while building inclusive community services. We faced and withstood a pandemic, ushered in unprecedented growth, and expanded person-centered services and supports to a growing and diverse population from 300,000 in 2016 to over 440,000 today. 

As I consider our many achievements together, I am most proud of how far we have come in cultivating a culture of extraordinary community engagement and collaboration. The growing partnership among self-advocates, families, disability advocates, service providers, regional centers, the DDS team and many more has been transformative.  It is remarkable to reflect on the initiatives and policies we have and are implementing that emerged through our conversations that will have lasting impacts for years to come. I have full faith in the capabilities of our community and leadership working together to further shape a vision for the future and deliver an exceptional Master Plan for Developmental Services that is focused on the whole person, anchored with cultural humility and honors individual choice and preferences. I am excited to watch your continued contributions and looking forward to witnessing great progress. 

Lastly, I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone in the developmental services community. My happy place and heart has been in our communities speaking with individuals, families, and direct service professionals about what matters most to them, at the African American and Hispanic Focus Groups, listening sessions with Tribal leaders, Cafecitos with Latina moms, and so many more. The warmth and grace with which you have extended at times were overwhelming, and I will forever be thankful for the connections.

While it’s not easy to step away from our work and relationships that have been such a significant part of my life, and I will miss the daily interactions and fulfilment of this role, I am looking forward to having more time to spend with my family and furry friend Sir Winston (pictured below) and exploring new hobbies. I hope to see many of you before I leave the office. May you all continue to shine and achieve your personal and professional goals and above all else live your truth and embrace your dreams. 

Thank you once again for the incredible journey and the memories that will last a lifetime.

Warmly,

Nancy