Heather Alge |
CEO, The Fogarty Center
1. What are your goals for The Fogarty Center now that you have stepped into the CEO role? Right now, my primary goal is to be an active listener. The Fogarty Center didn’t become the largest nonprofit agency serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities because of just one person. I am proud to work for a company where so many people dedicate their careers to support adults and children to achieve their greatest potential.
2. What attracted you to the human services field and to The Fogarty Center? I wish I could say something awe-inspiring like “I wanted to make a difference,” but that wouldn’t be true. I was barely an adult when I started as a direct support professional. I remember in disbelief that I was getting paid to spend the day with people; it was much better than the other jobs I held as a teenager.
In 2008, I received a call from someone whom I worked with previously at another agency. She was working at the Fogarty Center seeking a DSP for a teenage girl and thought of me. It was a nice feeling to get that recognition, so I joined the Fogarty team.
3. How does your experience in the human services field influence your work with The Fogarty Center? While I’m sure my experience has value, I try not to rely too heavily on the past, as every experience when working with humans is unique. I practice empathy and ask questions – I try to see things from someone else’s point of view, and I believe my varied experience in this field allows me to develop alternative perspectives a little easier.
4. With you having worked in the field since 2001, what changes stand out? So much has changed, and I attribute many of those changes to funding, technology and society in general. One of the biggest changes though is in the population we serve – supporting someone who lived many years institutionalized at Ladd School is much different than someone who is raised in today’s family home.
5. As nonprofits throughout the U.S. face funding challenges under Trump administration cuts, how is The Fogarty Center affected? The Trump administration cites fraud and abuse as the basis for federal cuts, and on the surface that is an initiative we can all stand behind. To do this effectively, however, the administration will need to commit significant resources to fully analyze each scenario and be very deliberate with each cut. I am not confident that the administration is willing to do this work and instead will implement broad, sweeping cuts that result in funding disruptions. These disruptions – even if only temporary – would jeopardize our workforce, or worse – the services we provide. The ripple effect would extend far beyond this industry.
