DANVERS — Northeast Arc, a nonprofit organization that helps children and adults with disabilities become full participants in the community, has named Dianne Powers chief development officer.
Powers will be responsible for all development efforts to support Northeast Arc’s mission. She will also oversee public relations, marketing, and volunteer services.
Powers comes to the Northeast Arc from RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, where she served as chief development officer. In her role at the private foundation, the sole goal of which is to end opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts, she was responsible for strategic planning and implementation for the fundraising of the organization. She previously served in the development department at Hill House Inc., a nonprofit providing programs, services, and activities to meet the diverse social, educational, cultural, and recreational needs of individuals and families residing in Boston’s downtown neighborhoods.
“I’m looking forward to having Dianne join our team in the critical role of chief development officer,” Northeast Arc President and CEO Jo Ann Simons said. “Her experience aligns perfectly with our goal of continuing to grow our fundraising through philanthropy, individual and corporate donors, and events. I am excited to work with Dianne to expand on the fundraising success of Northeast Arc’s recently completed Campaign for Linking Lives.”
“I’m thrilled to join the leadership team at Northeast Arc as I have always been impressed with the organization and the way it works to make the world more accessible for people with disabilities,” Powers, who has a personal connection to Northeast Arc’s mission, said. “My cousin has lived at one of the homes operated by Northeast Arc for several years and I can’t say enough about the difference it has made in his life. I look forward to building upon the organization’s success and making an impact on as many lives as possible.”
Powers, who lives in Wakefield with her husband and three children, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater, with a minor in American Sign Language and deaf studies from the College of the Holy Cross. She served as a volunteer for Boston Children’s Hospital fundraising events for many years and is chair of the board of directors at Canterbury Children’s Center in Wakefield.
