Northeast Arc Employee Receives Prestigious Honor

Louann Larson was honored with the 2015 Marty Martini Award for Outstanding Leadership by the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers at their recent conference. Larson is Director of the Family Support Division at the Northeast Arc, headquartered in Danvers, a not-for-profit organization that helps children and adults with disabilities become full participants in the community.

Larson was nominated for the award by Northeast Arc Chief Operating Officer, Joanne Plourde who said, “Thanks to Louann’s leadership, a main focus of expansion of our services over the past twenty-plus years has been autism. Recognized as the leading provider of specialized autism services in our region, Northeast Arc offers an ever-growing array of supports to individuals of all ages with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.”

“It is such an honor to have been chosen to receive this award, named for Marty Martini, who was a very accomplished and generous man,” said Louann Larson. “I am acutely aware that this recognition is not about me as an individual, but about the dedicated team of talented professionals around me who strive to make good things happen every day for families. I feel so fortunate to work with all of them.”

Larson has been in the field of disability services for 36 years with the last 27 as an employee of the Northeast Arc. She has held several positions and as the Family Support Division Director is responsible for a wide range of services including a preschool and daycare center, Early Intervention, Autism Support, Personal Care Assistants, Respite, Recreation, Educational Advocacy, Shared Living, and Adult Foster Care.

“Under Louann’s direction, innovative new programs have been developed, such as our Transition program, helping to prepare youth and their families for life after high school; Spotlight, our drama-based social skills program; and Touch to Talk, which makes iPad technology and expertise available to children with communication deficits,” said Plourde.

Larson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Management of Human Services from the Heller School at Brandeis University.