For people with intellectual
and developmental disabilities
The Arc of Connecticut began in the early 1950s as the Connecticut Council for Retarded Children (CCRC).
Nora L. Duncan Is Named New Executive Director
 |
|
Nora L.Duncan |
August 22, 2011 — Nora L. Duncan has been named Executive Director of The Arc Connecticut, an advocacy organization committed to protecting the rights of people with intellectual disabilities and related developmental disabilities and to promoting opportunities for their full inclusion in the life of their communities. The state organization, through its 23 local chapters provides supports and services to approximately 2,700 individuals and their family members around the state. Ms. Duncan is assuming her new position effective today.
Board President Diane Aubin announced Ms. Duncan's appointment, saying, "The entire board of directors and I are anticipating working with Nora. Her leadership skills and extensive background in public service will bring increased value to the services and supports The Arc provides, along with increased visibility to the organization. With Assistant Executive Director Leslie Simoes' strength in empowering self-advocates and organizing parent groups, The Arc will be in an excellent position to serve the needs of individuals and families in Connecticut."
Ms. Duncan brings to her new post 15 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. From 1998–2007 she worked for the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits as Public Policy Director and as Project Director of the CT Nonprofit Human Services Cabinet, a 20-member coalition of nonprofit associations representing nearly 1,000 individual nonprofit organizations around the state. For two and a half years she served as Policy and Legislative Affairs Liaison in the office of Governor M. Jodi Rell.
Ms. Duncan worked closely with The Arc Connecticut on advocacy issues including cost-of-living adjustments and represented Department of Developmental Disabilities-funded and regulated organizations, among many others, to the Legislative and Executive Branches. Her professional profile can be viewed at http://www.linkedin.com/in/noraduncanct
A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Connecticut, Ms. Duncan was recognized in 2009 as one of the Hartford Business Journal's "Forty Under Forty," an annual list of distinguished community leaders. In 2005 she received the National Council of Nonprofit Associations’ Phyllis Campbell Newsome Award for nonprofit advocacy leadership.
Ms. Duncan said, “I am pleased to be working with an organization with such a rich history of accomplishment in advocacy and social change. The Arc Connecticut’s future is one of continued advocacy, diversified membership, increased participation and family empowerment. I look forward to collaborating with all constituencies to ensure that the most inclusive and least restrictive opportunities are available for individuals with intellectual disabilities and related developmental disabilities.”