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AADD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEPPING DOWN,

Tom Graf, CAE, Executive Director of the Atlanta Alliance for Developmental Disabilities   (AADD), plans to step down from his 38-year tenure with the organization in December 2003, leaving behind a legacy of remarkable change for Georgians with developmental disabilities and their families.

Graf's years of service will be celebratedat the AADD Legacy of Leadership breakfast , Nov. 13 , at the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, in Buckhead. Graf, with the help of key supporters such as Rosalyn Carter, legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, and former Sen. Bobby Rowan, c ontinues to see the positive effect of many policy changes for which AADD led the way, including, in particular, three landmark pieces of state legislation:

• Mandatory Education Act (1968) , ensuring education for all children;

• Mandatory Community Services Act for People with Mental Retardation (1972), which has significantly decreased the number of people served by institutions and made it possible for more people to be served in their own communities;

• Metabolic Screening Act of 1978 , providing post-natal screening for metabolic disorders. This mandatory test has prevented more than 5,000 Georgia babies from having mental retardation or otherdevelopmental disabilities.

Also during his tenure, Graf initiated several programs that continue making a significant impact on Georgians, including:

• Georgia Special Olympics (Graf was one of three Georgia founders);

• Bobby Dodd Institute , addressing the needs of adults with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency through employment;

• Tommy Nobis Center , a private, not-for-profit community rehabilitation program providing comprehensive job training and employment services to youth and adults with obstacles to employment;

• Partners in Policymaking , providing the opportunity for 35-40 people with disabilities, parents, and family members to attend a series of leadership training seminars that cultivate an understanding of tools for self-advocacy and how to use them. This program now has some 400 graduates throughout the state.

Graf's passion for service to those who are often disenfranchised began as early as grade school, where he observed his classmates with disabilities receiving different treatment. “I didn't like it at all,” Graf recalled. “As I grew older, I had a real place in my heart and a concern for people who were different and treated differently.”

After earning his master's degree from Ohio State University, Graf became the executive director of the Ashtabula County (Ohio) Mental Retardation Program. Three years later, he accepted the position at AADD (then called AARC, Atlanta Association for Retarded Children).

Under Graf's leadership, AADD has grown from a small, local organization providing services to a few, to an organization providing direct service to more than 4,200 individuals in the last fiscal year, and influencing public policy statewide. The organization is recognized nationally for quality innovative services and its leadership in affecting systems change.

In 1985, Graf received his CAE (Certified Association Executive), and was recognized for receiving the highest score on the CAE exam nationwide.

Throughout his years at AADD, Graf has never lost sight of the organization's mission to build communities of acceptance, support, and opportunity for children, families, and individuals with developmental disabilities.

“You must never, ever forget the reason that you come to work every day, and that is to improve the quality of life of those you are organized to serve,” said Graf.

“I have to give Tom Graf a lot of the credit for showing me how, through helping and supporting those in need, I would truly be helping myself. Tom took me out to see my first Special Olympics competition. The next thing I knew I was named to the position of State Coach for the program. Because he took the time to educate me to how people with disabilities can become productive and can move on to live meaningful lives, I made the decision to become committed to his work. After 26 years of service, the Tommy Nobis Center has trained and placed in employment more than 12,000 people with disabilities. Tom Graf's fire continues to burn bright.”

•  Tommy Nobis,

•  Vice President of Corporate Development, Atlanta Falcons