Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Wednesday, May 25, 2016
(BLOOMINGTON) - Following a national search, Derek Nord has been appointed the new director of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University. Nord is currently associate director of the Research and Training Center on Community Living, a part of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration.
Located on the eastern edge of the IU Bloomington campus, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community is a federally designated Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. It is made up of seven research centers related to developmental disabilities: the Early Childhood Center, the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, the Center on Community Living and Careers, the Center on Aging and Community, the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, the Center for Disability Information and Referral, and the Center for Planning and Policy Studies.
Nord begins his new position July 1. He'll also join the School of Education at IU Bloomington as an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Nord brings with him more than 15 years of experience working to improve services and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including leading or co-leading numerous national and statewide research, training and technical assistance projects related to community living and participation.
Nord will replace David Mank, who is retiring after serving as the institute's director for 20 years.
"Derek has an excellent record of research, education and service -- locally, at the state level and nationally," Mank said. "I know that the institute, Indiana University and Indiana will welcome him."
"We are delighted that Derek Nord has accepted the leadership position," said Rick Van Kooten, vice provost for research at IU Bloomington. "Derek has demonstrated considerable passion for serving the needs of individuals with disabilities, and I'm confident that he'll meet the challenges of leading the IIDC and its constituent centers with great knowledge and energy."
The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community is overseen and supported in part by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at IU Bloomington.
Established in 1970, the institute has become a leader in transferring research and knowledge related to disabilities from the university setting to communities in Indiana and nationally. The institute's centers provide expertise in policy analysis, training and technical assistance, service to government agencies in implementing best practices, and solidarity with families and individuals with disabilities. Its training programs and assistance activities touch tens of thousands of Hoosiers every year.
Among Nord's responsibilities will be leading the institute in responding more fully to rapidly expanding needs for applied research and assistance related to autism.
"I'm a longtime supporter and collaborator of the IIDC, and I am thrilled to be involved in its next chapter," Nord said.
Nord received his bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and a Master of Social Work degree from Augsburg College in Minneapolis. He received his Ph.D. in education policy and administration from the University of Minnesota. Nord is author and co-author of numerous journal articles, book chapters and reports mainly related to employment and community living for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. He is the incoming president of the Association for People Supporting Employment First. He and his colleagues won the association's Grassroots Public Policy Award for advocacy regarding employment-disability policy in 2015.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.