UCP-Center for Disability Services in Joliet has new executive director

A Joliet nonprofit that serves children and adults with significant developmental delays has a new executive director as of Monday.

Brian Patel is now the executive director of the United Cerebral Palsy-Center for Disability Services in Joliet. Patel is the former student services coordinator at the Tinley Park Academy for the Easterseals Serving Chicagoland and Greater Rockford affiliate.

While at Easter Seals in Tinley Park, Patel “led and supervised a multidisciplinary team of employment services and clinical personnel,” UCP-Center for Disability Services said in a news release announcing his role.

Patel also developed new programs and initiatives for clients and staff, and he oversaw building improvements, United Cerebral Palsy-Center for Disability Services said.

Sue Treharne, UCP-Center for Disability Services board president, said in the release that Patel “offers a unique blend of people and policy skills that will benefit our agency.

“The board thinks Brian has knowledge of good leadership strategies,” Treharne said in the release, “and an understanding of state requirements to ensure all of our services comply with state standards.”

Rewards of working in social services

Patel said he was already familiar with several services UCP-Center for Disability Services offers – such as the therapeutic day school, adults services, and respite care – during his previous work with Easter Seals.

So Patel felt coming to UCP-Center for Disability Services “was a great opportunity to provide some guidance and leadership at this agency,” he said.

Patel, who said he’s provided social services to youth and adults for more than 20 years, said his work is more calling than career. And the best reward is the impact those services have on the clients.

“It’s just watching the smiles and seeing their faces light up,” Patel said.

Patel said it’s also rewarding to mentor staff and “watch them get better at their jobs.”

“All of that is exciting to me,” Patel said.

Patel credits a service learning class he took in high school with stoking his love for social services. Through that class, Patel worked with adults with intellectual development disabilities twice a week at an adult service workshop.

But initially in college, Patel veered away from the social services.

“I was going to be a lawyer,” Patel said.

Patel said working in social services doesn’t feel like work. Working in social services feels more like “doing what I like to do and interacting with people I like interacting with,” he said.

He wants UCP-Center for Disability Services to be the place where the community finds excellent care and where staff love to work, he said.

“I want that to be the standard of excellence in this disability services space,” Patel said.

Know more about United Cerebral Palsy-Center for Disability Services

United Cerebral Palsy-Center for Disability Services

• Has served children and adults with significant developmental delays for nearly 70 years.

• Operates a year-round school for children ages three to 21, who cannot be served by their home school district and adult day services for residents of Will County.

• Operates an in-home respite and home-based service program in five counties of Southern Illinois.

For more information, visit ucp-cds.org.