A non-profit charitable 501(c)3 organization
A non-profit charitable 501(c)3 organization
Anthesis welcomed Shawn Prokopec as Chief Executive Officer in May 2022. Shawn brings a wealth of experience to Anthesis as she spent 32 years providing leadership and direct services to children, adults, and families within the public and non-profit sectors. With a master’s degree in Psychology, Shawn has spent her career serving individuals with vulnerabilities to ensure that they have access to resources and opportunities for achieving their goals. Shawn is dedicated to work alongside Anthesis’ amazing staff to create innovative programs and increase our opportunities for employment, community integration, and social and recreational activities. In addition, Shawn is eager to collaborate with the Board of Directors and our numerous governmental, community, and business partners to increase our reach within this community to ensure our participants have the same opportunities for success as everyone else.
Terri joined the Anthesis team in April, 2010 and serves as the Director of Employment Programs. Terri brought over 20 years of extensive experience in manufacturing and production, with her most recent position prior to Anthesis being General Manager of a world class medical device manufacturer. While in that position Terri worked with some of the largest medical companies in the world. Terri’s successful leadership and direction for a 24/7 operation served to provide Anthesis with achieving the highest quality work production and customer services to Anthesis assembly and production customers. As Anthesis’s Director of Employment Programs, Terri’s responsibilities include administration of our Supported Employment and Employment Placement Services and our new Transition program which is focused on employment training. While Terri’s background was not associated with adults with disabilities, since coming to Anthesis she quickly realized and acknowledged the dedication of the Anthesis staff and the joy of working with Anthesis’s disabled workforce as the reasons for the success that has been achieved.
Kitty, Director of Human Resources, started her career with Anthesis in January 2008. Though she had never worked for a nonprofit organization, she did work with adults with disabilities in the hospitality industry. Prior to working at Anthesis, Kitty worked as Director of Human Resources for the Embassy Suites Hotel in Arcadia and Covina. At each of the hotels, she worked with a group of adults with disabilities who did various important tasks around the properties. Since joining the team, she has gained a considerable amount of knowledge of adults with disabilities. In addition, Kitty continues her education through her association with SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management) and PIHRA (Professionals in Human Resources Association). In March 2017, Kitty became a SHRM Certified Professional. Kitty is responsible for Anthesis’ human resource activities including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, employee relations, safety, benefits administration, and compensation.
Lucy is Anthesis’s Director of Day Services and she joined the Anthesis team in 2007. She has responsibility to increase volunteer sites to enhance and enable consumers to gain vocational skills for the day programs, adult development center and ‘round about senior services program and will be overseeing our retail store. Previously PVW’s Program Director, Lucy has been serving the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 20 years. Lucy acts as a liaison with the regional centers and community care licensing. She also represents Anthesis at school presentations, Parents Place, and to other organizations and advocacy agencies. She is actively involved as a support advisor for Kiwanis Division 15’s Inland Empire Aktion Club where she assists people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to give back to the community through service projects. Lucy is a tremendous advocate for consumers and upholds Anthesis’s mission to aid consumers in employment and community integration.
Leland joined the Anthesis team in January 2017 and serves as the Director of IECBS and Social Entrepreneurship. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Leland has over 15 years of experience in the field, serving and supporting individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. He spent 4 years managing the Adult Development Program (ADC), before being promoted to his current position. Leland leads the IECBS program, focusing on vocational goals by building skills as they relate self-advocacy, personal responsibility, transportation and job skills. Additionally, Leland is working with staff throughout all Anthesis’ programs on documentation, including quantifiable data collection of outcomes. Leland is also identifying opportunities in the community to provide services through self-determination, a cooking curriculum, tutoring program as well as vendorized programs to fill voids in services for individuals with DD/ID in the community.