ODDC - Thomas Appointed to ODDC

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 30, 2004

The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
8 East Long Street, Suite 1200
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Contact: Leslie Paull
(800) 766-7426, (614) 466-5205

Thomas Appointed to ODDC

The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (ODDC) today announced the three-year appointment of Erica J. Thomas of New Albany, Ohio, as a member of the council. Governor Robert Taft made the appointment.

Thomas recently became a stay-at-home mother, leaving a five-year stint as a budget/management analyst for the Ohio Office of Budget and Management. Prior to that, she was a budget/policy analyst for what is now the Legislative Service Commission. She has an M.S. in agriculture and natural resources policy from The Ohio State University (OSU) and a B.S. from OSU in sustainable resource management.

She serves on the Advocacy Committee at Oakstone Academy and belongs to The ARC of Ohio, the Central Ohio Chapter of the Autism Society, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, and the Ohio Environmental Council.

She has a son with an autism spectrum disorder. She said her son received prompt and intensive services, and the early intervention is paying off. She would like to use what she knows to help others. “My background in state government gave me a familiarity with state and local services that most parents do not have, and I feel that if I had a hard time understanding where to seek assistance, then it must really be difficult for someone with a governmental background,” she said.

ODDC consists of people who have developmental disabilities, parents and guardians of people with developmental disabilities, representatives from concerned state agencies, and nonprofit organizations and agencies that provide services to people with developmental disabilities.

The ODDC is one of a national network of state councils committed to self-determination and community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities. ODDC receives federal funding to help carry out its mission of developing new and better ways of advocating, increasing capacities to assist people, and making needed changes to systems.