The OARacle Newsletter

Last month OAR celebrated its 21st anniversary. For any nonprofit, this would be a special occasion in and of itself, but for OAR this celebration was especially memorable. In December, Mike Maloney, OAR’s executive director, stepped down from the role he had held since OAR’s founding.

Under Mike’s leadership, OAR went from a small nonprofit that awarded just two $30,000 applied research grants in 2002 to having awarded more than $4.6 million to fund research studies 20 years later. During that time, OAR also released nine resources in the Life Journey Through Autism Series aimed at helping parents and caregivers navigate a child’s autism diagnosis from the initial assessment through the transition to adulthood. OAR also introduced tools for educators and peer education and siblings’ resources to help promote autism acceptance. Most recently, OAR has introduced resources for the autistic community with Sex. Ed. for Self-Advocates, Finding Your Way: A College Guide for Students on the Spectrum, and the Hire Autism jobs portal and job search resource.

As we look back at these accomplishments, we appreciate all Mike has done for OAR and for the autism community and look forward to moving into 2023 with a solid foundation because of that hard work and dedication.

When Mike stepped down in December, I was honored to step into the role of executive director. I look back at everything OAR has accomplished and am overwhelmed by the opportunity OAR’s foundation and successes offer for our future. I came to OAR more than seven years ago looking to use my business and sales experience to make a difference in the world through nonprofit work. I was fortunate to come across the business manager position at OAR, and the rest, as they say, is history. I have learned so much from Mike, co-workers, and the autism community in the time that I have been here. I look forward to working with all of OAR’s stakeholders to carry on OAR’s good work long into the future.

As we head into 2023 with what is likely OAR’s biggest change in its 21-year history, just know that not everything is changing. OAR’s positive impact on the autism community will continue as OAR’s board of directors, Scientific Council, and staff remain in place as strong and active as ever. We head into this new period knowing that our connections to the autism community and our committed staff, board, council, and volunteers will continue to produce evidence-based resources, offer scholarships to autistic students, fund applied research, and help autistic adults find meaningful employment. We will also expand OAR’s offerings and find more ways to directly support the autistic adult community in addition to their families, caregivers, and educators.

This time last year, OAR’s board chair laid out ambitious goals for OAR’s future. We’ve made progress on many of these long-term goals, such as:

• Launching our Scholars Society (Look for an article describing this new initiative soon.)
• Awarding eight new applied research grants, 63 new scholarships, and eight new graduate research grants in 2022
• Creating a community grant program to support the design, packaging, and distribution of informational resources
• Continuing the peer education grant to promote autism acceptance through the use of OAR’s Kit for Kids program

Today, I look forward not to just reaching more of those long-term goals but expanding on them and increasing OAR’s reach and impact on the autism community. We’ll do this as we always have, with the support and dedication of OAR staff, the board of directors, the Scientific Council, and members of the autism community. So, while my face and name may be new to you, know that I move into this role respecting and appreciating the legacy handed to me and eager to work with all of OAR’s stakeholders to positively impact the autism community for at least another 21 years.

Kristen Essex came to OAR in 2015 with an extensive professional background that included insurance sales, the restaurant industry, and newspaper and small business management. In her initial role as business manager and later with her 2018 promotion to deputy executive director, she managed OAR’s day-to-day operations, human resources, and finances. She received a Bachelor of Arts in economics/business from Randolph-Macon College and a Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University.