Brian Thomas

President & CEO, United Disability Services of Akron

"From the time I was a child, my parents were tireless advocates for the acceptance and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities as full and contributing members of the community. Inspired by them, as a young adult I spent summers providing direct services at youth day camp sites supported by Summit DD. Now, after a full career in a completely different field, I’ve had the honor of serving UDS as its CEO for the past five years. I have not worked a single day without interacting personally with individuals we serve. It is the most fulfilling part of my day. As a service provider to hundreds, and as an administrator of a large staff of professionals in the field, I am acutely aware of the role Summit DD carries out in assuring the delivery of quality services. This, of course, requires adequate funding. The voters of Summit County have a tradition of being very supportive of the levies that provide this funding – thus, each voter and property owner is part of the network that creates meaningful connections between the individuals we serve and the communities that those individuals enrich.  For this, I am very grateful."