NASDDDS Welcomes Mary Brogan as Board President
Services (NASDDDS) announced to their membership in June that Mary Brogan, Administrator of the Hawaii Developmental Disabilities Division (DDD), assumed the positon of board president upon the departure of Mark A. Thomas from Louisiana state government. Mark was first elected to the NASDDDS board in 2017 and assumed the presidency in January of 2020. Before pursuing a position in the private sector, Mr. Thomas served as Deputy Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health. Prior to that role, he supported I/DD services in his home state as Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities. He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of developmental disabilities. During his tenure as board president, Mr. Thomas led the association through strategic shifts in service delivery; association modernization; and supported NASDDDS efforts during the public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. His impact on the association is monumental as NASDDDS is well poised to support our members in this new environment.
Mary Brogan assumed the role of NASDDDS board president in June 2022 after supporting the association as vice president/president elect since 2020 and serving on the board since
2017. Ms. Brogan has been with the Hawaii Developmental Disabilities Division since 2014 and is currently the administrator of the division. She has more than 28 years of experience in public health, having worked on health care policy issues in the Office of the Governor before joining the Department of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division. In that role, she was part of the team that led system transformation during the Felix Consent Decree. She joined the Department of Health’s Office of Program Improvement and Excellence in 2011, where she worked on policy initiatives, process alignment, and introduction of best practices in clinical systems for individuals with co-occurring treatment issues. Mary is a national expert in the areas of building accountability and performance management systems, as well as in advancing practice development in service systems. Under her tenure, DDD has strengthened community integration practices and service quality through measured strategies including improving the skills of the workforce, enhancing the service array, developing quality management practices, and increasing partnerships with participants and families.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude to Mark Thomas for his leadership during some of the most trying times ever faced by those working alongside and in support of the I/DD community,” said Mary Sowers, NASDDDS Executive Director. “His calm leadership and steadfast support has improved our association and our ability to serve our members. We are also very pleased to welcome Mary Brogan as board president. She has provided invaluable support to NASDDDS in leadership roles for many years contributing her keen eye in helping the association discern how to best serve our members and continue to operate on the leading edge of the I/DD field. We look forward to Mary’s continued leadership as we dedicate ourselves to constant evolution in support of our membership and those they serve.”
Please join NASDDDS in wishing Mark A. Thomas all the best in his new position and welcoming Mary Brogan to her new role!