Northeast Arc Appoints New Chair and Vice Chair to Board of Directors

The Northeast Arc, helping people with disabilities become full participants in the community; choosing for themselves how to live, learn, work, socialize and play, has elected Salem resident, Darcy Lenden Immerman as chair and Michael Foraste of North Andover as vice chair of its board of directors.

Immerman and Foraste who have served on the board of the Northeast Arc since 2013 and 2015, respectively, were sworn in at the organization’s 63rd Annual Meeting on June 2, 2017.

The Northeast Arc was founded in 1954 by parents of children with developmental disabilities who wanted to raise their sons and daughters as full members of the community. By having the courage to challenge professionals who told them their children could not be educated and would not live to become adults, these parents created the systems that enabled them to attend public schools, develop friendships, reside in the neighborhoods of their choice and to earn a paycheck.

“I applaud the parents who took a stand more than sixty years ago to make sure people with developmental disabilities were included in society and I am inspired by the strides made in this area during my time on the board,” said Darcy Immerman, senior vice president, resiliency at AECOM. “We have done a great deal of work in the last few years to expand our programs and services and with the help of my fellow board members and the incredible staff of the Northeast Arc I know we can continue to do much more.”

“I have been incredibly inspired during my time serving on the Northeast Arc’s board of directors by the breadth and depth of services the organization offers,” said Michael Foraste, Partner at RSM, where he specializes in providing audit services to public and private companies in the industrial product and consumer product industries. “The Northeast Arc is truly changing lives every day and I look forward to continuing to help do so as Vice Chair of its board.”

“I’m very excited to work with Darcy and Mike in their new roles on the Northeast Arc’s board,” said Jo Ann Simons, CEO, Northeast Arc. “They are both great champions of our mission and I know they will be instrumental in our continued growth in their new positions.”

The Northeast Arc Board of Directors consists of volunteers who give their time and talent to help raise funds and awareness about the organization’s programs and services for people in our communities living with disabilities. The board is responsible for guiding the organization’s future growth strategy by identifying and developing long-term corporate and individual partners that share the organization’s vision to enhance the lives of people with disabilities and celebrate their triumphs and achievements.