The Center for Enriched Living Announces Joan Cannon as Board President
The Center for Enriched Living’s (CEL), a non-profit organization headquartered in north suburban Riverwoods announced that Joan Cannon (Highland Park), Senior Director, Scientific Affairs, at Lundbeck, as the board president for a two-year term. New board members for FY21 include, Sue Bersh (Deerfield), VP Communications at AMLI Residential, Jeffrey Greenspan (Highland Park), Attorney at Cozen O'Connor Law Firm, and Carolyn Kuperman (Lake Forest), former Senior Director at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Their terms started on July 1, 2020.
“I’ve been involved with CEL for the past 4 years and I wholeheartedly believe in CEL’s mission – three simple words – include, achieve, enjoy,” Cannon shares. “Despite the current challenges, CEL is in fantastic shape with an amazing staff, strong leadership team, fantastic board, and a devoted community of supporters. As with every challenge, there are also opportunities. And in my term, I’m looking forward to how, together with all of our stakeholders, we can continue to make a difference in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
At CEL, teens and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) are part of a vibrant community with opportunities for life enrichment through social, recreational, educational, employment, and virtual programs.
“Our board of directors is a dynamic group of leaders that have helped sustain us during these turbulent times and have gone above and beyond to further our mission to ensure that people with developmental disabilities throughout the Chicagoland region and beyond, are connected to friends and opportunities for personal growth, continued learning, and competitive employment,” says CEO, Harriet Levy.
CEL’s Executive Committee includes:
President Joan Cannon, of Highland Park, Senior Director, Scientific Affairs at Lundbeck, Deerfield; Vice President Kim Cysewski, of Lincolnshire, retired from Grainger, Vice President, Human Resources, Lake Forest; Secretary Sarah Helm, PhD, of Winthrop Harbor, Manager, Diversity & Inclusion, Riverwoods; Treasurer Ira Singer of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, Owner of Mosaic Construction, Northbrook; Immediate Past President Dan Ripes, of Highland Park, Vice President, Global Partnerships at Rise Interactive, Chicago; Past President Shea Hart, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, Director of PPM at CDW, Vernon Hills
Levy continues, “Our board ambassadors advocate, fundraise and help sustain this $4mm privately-funded organization. Their efforts will guide us as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as our strategic plan initiatives.”
CEL board members share their professional experience and expertise to ensure that CEL continues to grow and thrive. In our board recruitment efforts, we look for community and business leaders who have a passion for our mission and a willingness to fundraise and be an outspoken advocate for CEL.
To learn more about CEL’s board of directors go to www.CenterForEnrichedLiving.org/get-involved.
About the Center for Enriched Living
For more than 50 years, the Center for Enriched Living has enriched the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – from youth through adulthood. CEL’s programs provide social, recreational, educational, employment, and virtual opportunities for our members in our renovated Universally Designed building in Riverwoods and online. CEL has been designated as a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator for 5 consecutive years and was accredited by the Council on Quality and Leadership in 2019. More information is available at www.CenterForEnrichedLiving.org.