Autism Foundation of Tennessee
Executive Director
| Executive Director | Mrs. Karen Blake |
|---|---|
| kblake@autismcareertraining.org | |
| Term Start | March 2024 |
| Karen's Experience: In the spring, ACT suffered the tragic loss of our Executive Director, Matthew Powell to cancer. Matthew was a pillar in the Middle Tennessee community and a long-time advocate for the Autism community. ACT is in the process of hiring a new Executive Director to lead our organization moving forward. Our Board Chair, Karen has stepped in as interim Executive Director until we are able to hire a candidate to fill this full-time role. | |
Staff
| Full Time Staff | 7 |
|---|---|
| Part Time Staff | 3 |
| Volunteers | 35 |
| Contractors | 1 |
| Retention Rate | 90% |
Plans & Policies
| Does your organization have a Fundraising Plan? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Does your organization have a Strategic Plan? | Yes |
| Years Strategic Plan Considers | 15 |
| When was the Strategic Plan adopted? | |
| Does your organization have a Management Succession Plan? | No |
| Does your organization have a Policy and Procedure Plan? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy? | Yes |
Evaluation
| Is there a formal evaluation for... | Frequency (if applicable) | |
|---|---|---|
| CEO/Executive Director | Yes | Annually |
| Senior Management | Yes | Annually |
| Non-Management | Yes | Annually |
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| Autism Foundation of TN has reached many goals. There are still challenges ahead which include:A mandate for insurance to cover services in the state of Tennessee was recently approved. This should help families that previously were unable to have coverage for ABA services. Tennessee was the last state in the United States to have this type of mandate.The need for more therapeutic staff: We are constantly hiring new Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Registered Behavior Technicians. This is an area of greatest need for our organization. A marketing director has been hired whose primary goal is to recruit staff.Plans for expansion: Due to the unmet needs for services throughout the entire state of Tennessee, Autism ETC foresees replicating its program with centers in other areas of the state. This will be accomplished to address the needs of the estimated 25,000 individuals under age 18 and their families that are affected by ASD in Tennessee. |
