The Board of Directors for The Arc Caddo-Bossier and The Arc of Caddo-Bossier Foundation Board of Trustees have selected Kristen Gary Powers as Executive Director. Powers succeeds Janet Parker, who has retired after 42 years of service to The Arc, and who led the organization as Executive Director for 22 of those years.
Gisele Proby-Bryant, President, The Arc Caddo-Bossier – “Kristen is a positive and energetic leader. Her warmth, collegial style, practical approach to problem solving, and passion for leveraging community partnerships to help people with disabilities have earned Kristen the esteem of The Arc of Caddo-Bossier’s volunteers, staff, board, and donors. The board is excited to work with Kristen as our new executive director and confident that The Arc will be well positioned as she leads the way in the 21st century in support of individuals with disabilities and their families we are privileged to serve.”
W. Clint Snell, President, The Arc Caddo-Bossier Foundation – “The Arc Foundation is proud to have Kristen Gary Powers as the new Executive Director of The Arc Caddo-Bossier. Her education and backgrounds in communications, health care administration and development only strengthen her abilities to move The Arc family forward into the future. The thing that impressed me most was her heart for people with disabilities and the desire to serve them with excellence.”
Prior to joining The Arc Caddo-Bossier, Powers served as Director of Development for another local nonprofit serving individuals with disabilities for more than 5 years. Her background is in healthcare and nonprofit administration and she has served as a community volunteer for many local organizations including being founder and past-president of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana, member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and sustaining member of the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier. She is a 2002 graduate of Louisiana State University Baton Rouge and received her MBA from the University of New Orleans (UNO) in 2004.
“I appreciate the board and foundation’s confidence in me, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to lead such a great organization. The Arc is resilient and I know we can move forward and continue to provide excellent services and programs to individuals with disabilities and their families in our community,” Powers said. “I am especially grateful to Janet Parker for her guidance and grace during this transition. The Arc Caddo-Bossier is strong today because of her tireless work over the past four decades.”
As executive director, Powers will work closely with staff, the board and foundation to ensure the organization can continue to adapt to serve people with disabilities and their families through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
About The Arc Caddo-Bossier:
The Arc Caddo-Bossier is a private, non-profit organization that provides an array of services and supportive programs for infants, children, and adults with disabilities and their families. The mission of The Arc Caddo-Bossier is “building unlimited opportunities for people with disabilities.” Learn more by visiting www.thearccaddobossier.org.
