Director Spotlight: Betsy Hopkins (ME)

1. What inspired you to enter the I/DD field?

I was drawn to the IDD field and to my current role, which also includes strengthening aging services, by a deep belief in the right of all people to live meaningful lives with choice and dignity in their communities. Early in my career, I saw how thoughtfully designed public systems can remove barriers or, when misaligned, unintentionally reinforce them, shaping my commitment to person-centered policy, strong safeguards, and partnership with people with lived experience and their families. That perspective continues to guide my work across both disability and aging systems, where the opportunity to build equitable, transparent, and responsive supports that reflect the real lives of the people we serve has been both motivating and sustaining.

2. Which priorities are guiding your work this year?

The work of the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) this year is focused on strengthening access to home and community-based services across the lifespan, stabilizing, and supporting the direct support workforce, and continuing to improve quality oversight and accountability across Maine’s aging, long-term services, and IDD and brain injury systems. This includes advancing the Lifespan Waiver, better aligning rates and value-based purchasing with quality expectations, and remaining responsive to evolving state and federal HCBS requirements.  The goal is to continue to ground the work in meaningful stakeholder engagement, clear communication, and cross-system collaboration.

3. What place best reflects the spirit of your state?

Mainers are shaped by a shared set of values: resilience, self-reliance, practicality, and a strong sense of responsibility to one another, whether born here or drawn to make Maine their home. 

For me, the Maine coast best embodies those values. In small working harbors and quiet island communities, you see a balance of independence and interdependence; people who are resourceful and resilient yet deeply connected to place and community. That same balance informs how Maine approaches public service: grounded, relationship-driven, and focused on long-term stewardship. It is a reminder that strong systems are built by listening to local voices, solving problems together, and honoring the communities they are meant to serve.