by LaMara HunterKelly | Nov 20, 2018 | In The News
Peggy Vezina joins the RECOVER Project with over 20 years’ experience in human services. She has worked throughout the Pioneer Valley in many diverse settings. She especially loved working with youth in the Holyoke, Greenfield and Springfield communities. She has a passion for working with families and learning the supports they need to build communities where children are well loved, cared for and thriving.
Peggy feels blessed to be part of a movement of people who are changing the way we look at the world and how we engage and interact in this world in meaningful ways. What excites her about this position is the opportunity to do what she loves the most. She is a strong advocate for elevating the voices of people who have faced tremendous adversity and creating space where they can flourish and lead. She will continue to foster the development of the peer leader model, focus on staff and peer development and hopes to further integrate the RP into the larger community. Peggy strongly believes there is so much to be learned from and shared by the recovery community.
Peggy and her wife are enjoying the birth of their second grandchild. Peggy loves to travel and to be outdoors. She is very devoted to her cats and cannot get enough time to play ping pong where everything is in play!
![The Consortium Welcomes New Executive Director, Kristel Applebee]()
by LaMara HunterKelly | Nov 16, 2018 | In The News
HOLYOKE, MA – The Western Massachusetts Training Consortium welcomes new Executive Director, Kristel Applebee, as successor to longtime leader, Marylou Sullivan. Marylou retired at the end of October, and was at the helm for 38 of the organization’s 45 years. PJ Moynihan, President of the Consortium Board of Directors related, “as we express our gratitude and honor Marylou for decades of tireless and devoted service, we enthusiastically welcome Kristel to lead the agency, and its work, into the future.”
The Consortium was founded in 1975 to support developing community-based models of support, in response to deinstitutionalization. Their earliest mission was clear: to serve as a catalyst for incredible change in the creation and development of community supports. They achieved this by supporting staff to think critically about what positive community supports would look like and to dream about what was possible for people who had been denied the experience of community. From the very start, the Consortium’s role has been unique in cultivating new perspectives, encouraging progressive initiatives, and supporting change.
Kristel has served the agency in myriad roles for more than twenty years and is steeped in the values that have shaped the Consortium community for more than four decades. She truly believes in “creating conditions in which people with lived experience pursue their dreams and strengthen our communities through full participation.” Her leadership style has been influenced by numerous mentors in Western Massachusetts and beyond. Kristel has served on several local non-profit Boards and as a volunteer and community builder for community groups. She is a fierce advocate for giving voice to the silenced and values being a lifelong learner.
“To have this opportunity to reflect the collective voice of our community through deep listening – to bring a discerning ear and gentle voice, is a sacred gift. My intention is to honor those who’ve come before, are with us now, and those who will join us along our future path – and that is no small task. Indeed, it is what we’re here for,” said Applebee.
Moynihan added, “The Board has been consistently impressed with Kristel’s vision for the organization’s future, and her commitment to the values of The Consortium. We believe she is an ideal fit for this leadership role. As much as we chose Kristel, she also chose us, and we are honored to have such a remarkable woman to lead our work forward.”
Check out www.wmtcinfo.org to learn more about the Consortium’s impactful work, which is connecting with communities across Western Mass and beyond.
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Photo Credit: Ryan Williams, Four Wings Photography, LLC www.fourwingsphotography.com
