Submitted photo and press release:
The Western New York Independent Living Inc. Family of Agencies (WNYIL) is pleased to announce that Stephanie Orlando has joined their team as chief operations officer (COO), second only to Chief Executive Officer Douglas J. Usiak.
As COO, she is responsible for the overall supervision of over 2,500 employees at seven offices, serving 12 counties, that have an annual operating budget of more than $40 million. The Batavia office (Independent Living of Genesee Region) is located at 113 Main St.
She will help manage 61 contracts, including 18 management care and managed long-term care agreements, including federal grants, as well as state and local contracts. In addition, she helps manage 13 subcontracts with community-based organizations that provide services to 23 counties.
Some selected highlights of Orlando's accomplishments and honors:
- In 2005, the Western New York native moved to Albany to work for Families Together in New York State where she developed the statewide network YOUTH POWER! (YP!). Through peer-to-peer mentoring YP! empowers young people to be leaders and advocates. Notable among the other programs she helped develop, was the 2015 New York State Office of Mental Health Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Youth Peer Advocate training curriculum, which she co-authored with Jutta Dotterweich of Cornell University. She transitioned out as YP! director in 2017.
- Also, in 2005, Orlando connected to other advocates by joining the National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN). Attending their Leadership Institute resulted in her serving for years on the National Council on Disability’s (NCD) Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), holding the positions of Outreach Workgroup Leader, Chairperson, and Mentor. In 2012, President Barack Obama appointed her, (confirmed by the U.S. Senate), to serve a two-year term on the full NCD. In this period, Orlando served on the Executive Committee as the chairperson of the Governance and Planning Committee.
- From 2001 to 2005, she was the executive assistant for the Children’s Mental Health Coalition of Western New York, organizing a variety of activities.
- From 1999 to 2001 Orlando worked as the lead Youth Peer Advocate for Mid-Erie Counseling and Treatment Services. Also, in 1999, Stephanie was selected as an original member of the New York State Office of Mental Health Youth Advisory Council and elected Chairperson.
- Having received her high-school-equivalency diploma, Orlando obtained her Bachelor of Arts and graduated magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo in 2005.
- Among her honors are: the Erie County Executive Award for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (2004); Mental Health America’s mPower Award (2006); the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)'s Diana Viets Memorial Award (2008); and the Leila Salmon Advocacy Award from The New York State Mental Health Association (NYSMHA).
We of WNYIL look forward to working with Stephanie Orlando in this exciting new role.
WNYIL is Western New York's largest cross-disability, consumer-directed, non-residential organization for persons with disabilities. At WNYIL, individuals of all ages and all types of disabilities learn to exercise their freedom of choice to take control of their own lives, in order to live more productively in, and contribute to, the community.
