Executive Director Named for Bucks Nonprofit Serving People with Disabilities

The Center for Independent Living of Bucks County is pleased to announce that Mahria Morris has joined the Bristol-based nonprofit organization as its executive director.

Morris, of New Hope, graduated this spring with a master’s degree in social work from Bryn Mawr College. Her studies centered on macro-level social work, which focuses on the analysis, development and implementation of public policy supporting individuals served by social work, in this case the Center’s consumers.

“I like systems,” said the married mother of four. “There’s no other agency that I’m aware of that touches as many systems as the Center for Independent Living.”

Board President Frank Keating said Morris had interned at the Center two summers ago. When outgoing executive director Josh Pittinger resigned, he recommended Morris for the job.

Keating and the rest of the organization have known Morris for many more years through her involvement with the disabled community. She is the daughter of Anne Mauro, who helped to start, and has run Handicapped Crusaders since 1966.

“Mahria is very familiar with Bucks County. She’s lived here all her life,” Keating said. “More than anything else, we know her.”

Through her mother, Morris literally grew up serving people with disabilities. Morris said she will use her background, education and passion for helping the disabled community guide her role at the Center.

Recently, the Center added a program coordinator, as well as an independent living specialist with expertise in ADA programs. Morris hopes to bridge the center’s mainly a la carte services to program-based services, while incorporating adaptive technology to ensure that services are not duplicated.

“At first you don’t succeed,” Morris said. “Sometimes our systems aren’t equipped to let people try, try again.”

About the Center for Independent Living of Bucks County

For the last 12 years, the Center for Independent Living of Bucks County (CILBC) has helped hundreds of individuals living with disabilities create an environment that aids in greater independence.

A nonprofit organization, CILBC makes available an array of services for the roughly 70,000 Bucks County residents living with a disability. Our organization offers customized services to best meet our clients’ varying needs, including peer support counseling, independent living skills training and guidance in self advocacy. CILBC is also an information and referral hub, pairing hundreds of people each year with disability-related services. To learn more, visit http://www.cilbc.org/