People Inc. Announces Retirement of James Boles, EdD, as President/CEO; Appoints Current COO Rhonda Frederick as Successor Effective Oct. 1
People Inc.’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that, as part of the agency’s succession planning, James Boles, EdD will be retiring as president and chief executive officer, effective October 1, 2014, and Rhonda Frederick, our chief operating officer for the past 12 years, has been selected to succeed him in that position. You can read the press announcement here.
We always like to consider ourselves at People Inc. as one big family. In this regard, we are having one family member retiring but who will still be welcomed and supporting us in all the great work that we do and, even better, we have another longtime family member stepping up to take over the reins.
Together, they have 67 years of collective experience with People Inc. and through their outstanding accomplishments have seen our agency grow in three decades from 200 staff members and a $2 million annual budget to one with more than 3,200 staff serving 12,000+ individuals and a budget of $144 million.
I am happy to announce that Dr. Boles will continue to serve in an advisory capacity after October 1 and assist in the transition until the end of 2014 before continuing in his education, advocacy and research role supporting the work of the Museum of disABILITY History and producing publications through People Ink Press.
You should know that the Board followed a very detailed process and looked at various options, as well as the environment, future challenges and our agency’s culture, when choosing a successor to Dr. Boles.
This process allows for a seamless transition among our internal leadership, one facilitated by collaboration with Dr. Boles as the strategic architect of our current course, which resulted in the growth and diversification of the agency.
We look forward to Rhonda continuing our current direction and strengthening and enhancing our services as Western New York’s largest human services agency, with a special focus on supporting our valued staff, quality improvement and continued expansion into healthcare services.
Under her leadership, we believe People Inc. is well-poised to continue to be a key leader as our field continues to evolve and change.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Kedron, PhD
Chairperson, People Inc. Board of Directors
