Mary Heafy, president & CEO, Alliance for Resource Management
Heafy
As the parent corporation of ARC Community Services and Matson Community Services, the Fitchburg-based Alliance for Resource Management serves almost 600 people with developmental and intellectual disabilities in Central Massachusetts. The group recently hired Mary Heafy, a veteran of another ARC group in Greenfield, as its head. In this Q&A Heafy talks about how a Girl Scouts mentor helped her get to where she is today.
Vital Stats:
Age: 55
Residence: 105 acres on the side of Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, N.H.
Family: Husband, two adult children ages 23 and 26, two dogs, two cats, three emus
Education: Bachelor's degree in sociology and secondary education, Lowell State College; master's in health care administration, Framingham State College
Previous job: Director of adult services at The United Arc in Greenfield
Start date at new job: Aug. 30
Q. How are you settling in at your new office?
A. The first weeks at any new job are exciting and energizing, and this position is no exception! I am fortunate to work with an outstanding senior management team.
Q. What's the biggest surprise you've had in starting the job?
A. I am delighted to discover the vital role that this organization plays as a major employer in downtown Fitchburg.
Q. What challenges do you see in your new position?
A. Leading an organization as vibrant and complex as ours will always have competing priorities. My initial areas of focus are to bring our capital campaign to a successful conclusion, to lead the organization in reexamining our vision and mission, and to secure needed resources and support the staff in delivering consistently excellent services to the individuals and families served by our organization.
Q. How different is this job from your previous position?
A. Having worked for another ARC, there is a similarity in the core values of the organization. The Alliance for Resource Management delivers a broader array of services than in my previous position including employment supports, residential services, recreation, advocacy and education. The organization also has a larger operating budget and more employees.
Q. How close is this to what you imagined in high school you'd end up
doing?
A. During high school, I was active in Girl Scouts and was mentored by an amazing woman who is now in her nineties. She helped me recognize and develop my leadership potential and my identity as a strong, visionary leader. I did not know during high school that my life work would be in the disability field but I knew that my gifts and talents involved leading others to find the best in themselves and in those we serve, and to grow those gifts and talents.
Q. Where's the best place to get lunch near your new location?
A. Sean Patrick's Restaurant in Lunenburg - the fantastic menu has something for everyone.
Q. What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?
A. Preparing for a transition in leadership within the organization as I look toward retirement knowing that during the prior 10 years I successfully positioned the organization financially and programmatically to serve individuals with intellectual disabilities for the next 50 years.
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