Each year the Board of Directors for the AAIDD Texas Chapter recognizes individuals for their dedication and work in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Awards are given in the following categories:

 

The Student Award for Excellence in Knowledge, Support or Empowerment is awarded to college students who have shown significant potential for making outstanding contributions in the areas of knowledge, support, or empowerment. The 2015 recipient of the Student Award for Excellence in Knowledge Support or Empowerment.is a leader and supporter in the field of ASD and intellectual and developmental disabilities.   

 

The recipient of this award is currently in his 2nd year of study at Walden University where he is earning his Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on IDD/ASD populations.

 

He has spent the past 11 years working in social services from geriatric personal care services to foster care. For the last 3 years, He has chosen to serve individuals with mental health, IDD, and ASD disorders. He began his career at MHMRA as a Rehabilitation Clinician within the Mental Health Division. Seeking further career development, he transferred to the IDD division as a Case Manager for the DSRIP Wrap Around Support Services Team.

 

He is truly remarkable as he successfully and efficiently juggles multiple tasks and roles on a daily basis to complete his normal job duties as well as assist in program oversight. Within his first month in the IDD division he authored the Wrap Around Support Services Program Resource Library. This document is now distributed to the individuals and families we serve to aid them in taking ownership, having a voice, and accessing community supports to reduce inpatient hospital admissions. This document alone resulted in MHMRA of Harris County receiving more than $300,000.00 in DSRIP funding.

 

He works collaboratively with our Authority Services Dept., outpatient clinics, and Harris County Psychiatric Center with positivity and grace ensuring the continuity of care for our consumers. His collaboration extends statewide through his voluntary monthly participation in the Statewide Wrap Around Learning Collaborative where new ideas, challenges, and goals are shared and resolved to improve the quality of care for the individuals and families we serve. He is truly an asset not only to our consumers but to our agency. The 2015 Student Award for Excellence in Knowledge, Support or Empowerment is awarded to Mr. Leondre Ledoux.

 

The Empowerment Award for Excellence in Promotion of Self-Advocacy is awarded to self-advocates and/or the professionals who support self-advocates for courage and dedication resulting in outstanding contributions to the self-advocacy movement.  The recipient of this award is a true cowboy, living the cowboy life.  He was born in Austin, Texas in 1992 and faced lots of challenges growing up.  When he was little he was diagnosed with ACC (Agenesis of the Corpus Colosseum) and it was hard work to overcome simple things, like riding a bike.  But Jesse works hard to overcome his challenges and today he drives his own truck!  He lives and works on ranch and takes care of horses and pastures. He has a second job at Callahan's Feed store. He has an active life in town.  He is as regular as the barstools at the Broken Spoke and stops over regularly at Don's Depot and El Mercado's for their weekly jam nights. The 2015 Empowerment Award for Excellence in Promotion of Self-Advocacy is awarded to Jesse Trocino.  

 

The Support Award for Excellence in the Provision of Direct Supports is awarded for exceptional work in the delivery or coordination of high quality direct services and supports in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology and Psychology and is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, QMHP, QDDP and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. She will be celebrating her 40th year as a human services professional in 2016. Her MHMR career began at the age of 20 as a Recreational Therapist Aide with Harris County MHMR. She went on to obtain her BA and CTRS certification from TSU, while managing three of the very first community group homes in the state of Texas, as related to the de-institutionalized movement of the Austin State School, beginning in 1979. Tommie also serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through her private Recreational Therapy practice. She has held the position of Volunteer & Internship Services for Austin Travis County Integral for the last ten years. She was instrumental in developing the IDD program, the "Friendship Link", which is a one-on-one volunteer matching program with the purpose of providing friendship and community-based recreation. Several of these matches have been together for five to nine years. In addition, she is instrumental in providing meaningful holiday activities for persons served in ATCIC's IDD program. Her latest creative endeavor is the LEAP program (Leisure Education and Art Program) which utilizes creative and talented volunteers to provide fun leisure activities in the group homes. Examples include Story Tellers, Painters, Clay works, cooking and more.

The 2015 Support Award for Excellence in the Provision of Direct Supports is awarded to Tommie Calfee.

 

The Knowledge Award for Excellence in Education or Research is awarded for significant contributions to the dissemination of knowledge in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities through education and/or research.  The recipient of this award is currently a clinical psychologist for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Division of MHMRA of Harris County.  

 

He received his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in psychology from Texas Christian University (TCU) and his Masters of Arts (MA) and Doctorate of Psychology (Psy. D.) degrees from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. His dissertation focused on the cognitive effects of repeated seizures during early development. He completed his practicum at Cook County Hospital and the University Of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine.  His predoctoral internship was completed at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Jackson Memorial Hospital with a focus in pediatric neuropsychology.  

 

He is currently the psychologist for MHMRA of Harris County’s Community Behavioral Supports (CBS) crises care team within the IDD Division and for the Coffee House program. A program for adults with high functioning Autism that teaches social and independent living skills in a group format.  He has presented on programs and services for individuals with IDD and co-occurring mental health disorders numerous times at local, state, and national conferences including several presentations for the Texas Chapter of AAIDD.  In addition, he has presented at the NADD national conference as well being a key note speaker for the Region VI APS annual conference. His duties include supervising doctoral students in clinical and school psychology programs.  He provides indirect supervision for Masters level Counseling and Social Work students. The 2015 Knowledge Award for Excellence in Education or Research is awarded to Dr. Alton Bozeman.

 

The Helen G. FitzSimmons Leadership Award is awarded for outstanding leadership in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. The recipient of this award has extensive knowledge, not only as a leader, but as a parent with a child with developmental disabilities. He earned a M.A. in Psychology and is a Licensed Psychological Associate (LPA), as well as a QIDDP.

 

He began his career in the 1970s, working as a Psychologist at Abilene State School.  He later worked for private residential providers, before beginning his own residential services company.  He has a long history of contributions to the field of intellectual disabilities in Texas, including serving as President of the association now known as AAIDD-TX.  He has made many presentations at the annual conventions of AAIDD-TX and has been a strong advocate for private providers in this field. He has also served for many years as the Mayor of his home community, Granbury. He was a close colleague to Helen FitzSimmons, in whose memory the Leadership award is named.

The 2015 Helen G. FitzSimmons Leadership Award is awarded to Mr. David Southern.

   

 

The President’s Award is awarded at the discretion of the Chapter’s President and is an award for Excellence in the Promotion of Research, Knowledge, Empowerment, Support, Leadership, and Advocacy in the field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  This year’s recipient has demonstrated the core meaning of the President’s Award through her heartfelt dedication and life devotion to improve the lives and services for persons with IDD.  The recipient this award is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Medical Branch.  She is board-certified in adult and child psychiatry.  She currently serves as the Medical Director for the Intellectual Disability Services Division at the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority (MHMRA) of Harris County.  She leads a group of three additional psychiatrists (all trained in adult and child psychiatry) who provide services in an array of settings including an outpatient clinic, a therapeutic day program, a crisis service, and a psychiatric hospital.  In addition, she provides oversight for MHMRA’s Director of Nursing and Director of Program Compliance and Clinical Supports.  

 

She is on the voluntary faculties of the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.  She has previously served as a full-time faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.  In 2006, she was asked to develop a three-month IDD training rotation for child psychiatry residents from Baylor and UT.  The training rotation for both medical schools is now in its tenth year and has trained over sixty child psychiatrists. 

 

She has spent much of her career in public sector psychiatry and assisted with the Houston area response following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  She has received specialized training from the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.  

 

She has presented workshops related to co-occurring IDD (intellectual and/or developmental disabilities) and psychiatric illness at local, state, and national conferences. She has served in medical leadership/medical director roles for over twenty years in two community mental health centers and one private non-profit system of care.  She has worked at MHMRA for eighteen years and has served as the IDSD Medical Director for fifteen years. Her publications include the following:

 

• Flick, Sarah R.  “Healing Ourselves: Self-Care Practices for Physicians.”  Medical Journal—Houston.  Volume 7, Issue 9.  December 2010.

• Flick, Sarah and Quintero, Maria.  “Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Developmental Disabilities.”  Social Work Today.  Volume 10, Number 5. September/October 2010.

• Flick, Sarah Robinson.  “Katrina: Another View from Houston.”  Texas Psychiatrist, April/May 2006.

• Flick, Sarah Robinson and William J. Winslade (1998), “Ethics in Child Psychiatry.”  In:   Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume Seven, Noshpitz, Joseph D., editor-in-chief, Adams, Paul A. and Bleiberg, Efrain, editors.  New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

 

The 2015 President’s Award is awarded to the renowned Dr. Sarah Robinson Flick.