Wanda Willis, starting force and vision behind Pathfinder, retires from 40 years of public service
Wanda Willis, Executive Director of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, is retiring in January. Lauren Pearcy, previously the Council’s Director of Public Policy, has been appointed by the Council Executive Committee as the new Executive Director.
Wanda’s career began in special education, where she says she learned more from her students than she taught them. She soon moved into work within state government. For the past 33 years, Wanda has headed the Council. There she has pushed progress on issues touching every type of disability and every stage of life.
Wanda’s role in Pathfinder shows her gift for bringing people together to work on solutions. The Council heard from the disability community that it was very hard to find and connect with services. If a person with a disability had a specific need, how could they know where to go for help? Wanda knew Tennessee needed a “one-stop shop” to find disability information and services.
The Council partnered with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center to launch TN Disability Pathfinder in 1997. It began simply, with two staff members, a hotline, and a printed directory of services. With Council support, Pathfinder grew its staff, launched a website, and added a multicultural program to serve families from diverse backgrounds.
But Wanda and the Council continued to hear from people with disabilities and families about the struggles of finding good information about the disability services system. More was needed. Wanda worked for several years to bring in six other state agencies to invest in Pathfinder:
- Department of Education
- Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
- Department of Health
- Department of Human Services/Division of Rehabilitation Services
- Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disabilities
Wanda credits these agencies for their strong commitment to providing Tennesseans with disability information. The agencies worked together with Pathfinder Director Megan Hart to expand the Pathfinder staff and launch a new website. The updated site offers new features that make it easier to find resources based on the specific need.
Wanda believes Pathfinder will keep growing its impact. “We have set a national standard for how the system can come together to help people connect to the resources they need,” Wanda said. “I am so proud of the way partners have invested in and are promoting Pathfinder. Thousands of people benefit every year. I know that will continue to grow through the work of Pathfinder’s amazing team.”
Newly appointed Executive Director Lauren Pearcy has been heavily involved in Pathfinder’s leadership team and shares Wanda’s belief in its importance. “I have been so proud to see how many people Pathfinder has helped connect to the resources they need. This is a key tool for people with disabilities and their families to live the lives they want for themselves. Pathfinder will continue to be a major priority for the Council.”
Wanda and Lauren share the belief that powerful change is possible when people come together to work toward a common goal. Pathfinder is proof of the success of that vision.