Executive director of the Partnership set to retire
After serving as executive director of the Partnership for People with Disabilities since 2012, Donna Gilles, Ed.D., is scheduled to retire at the end of this month.
Gilles, also an associate professor in the VCU School of Education’s Department of Counseling and Special Education, joined VCU in 2007.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some really great people,” Gilles said. “I’m also thankful that I was able to have the job that I always aspired to – being a faculty member at a university.”
Gilles first realized that while attending a graduation ceremony at the University of Kansas where her uncle taught chemistry.
“I was in my early teens, and the ceremony was so elaborate and beautiful, I knew I wanted to work at a university,” she said. However, it wasn’t until she came to VCU that Gilles got to fully realize her dream.
“I’ve been able to experience all the facets of being a tenured faculty member and more here. Running a center (Virginia’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, UCEDD), directing a department-like unit, managing projects, and supporting and collaborating with great faculty, staff and students has been challenging and most fulfilling. The Partnership, Department of Counseling and Special Education, School of Education, and VCU afforded me the opportunity to do all of that,” she said.
School of Education Dean Andrew P. Daire, Ph.D., said that Gilles’ contributions to VCU and the School of Education have been significant.
“She leaves behind notable contributions to the school as a faculty member and a legacy of leadership at the Partnership. Her dedication through the years has set a great example for all of us,” Daire said.
Donna Gibson, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Counseling and Special Education, said Gilles has positively impacted the school in many ways.
“She is the epitome of a team player, leading the Partnership, supporting students in master’s and doctoral programs within the school, and serving on various committees in the school and at VCU,” she said. “Her wisdom in leading and her gracious and generous support of me as a department chair assisted me in making decisions that impacted our programs and faculty positively. I will always be grateful to her and her contributions to our department and the School of Education.”
“Throughout [Donna's] tenure at the Partnership, she has shown her deep commitment to equity and inclusion time and time again.”
– Parthy Dinora, Ph.D., associate director at the Partnership
Parthy Dinora, Ph.D., associate director at the Partnership, said that Gilles will be remembered for her commitment and values.
“Donna is ‘the real deal’ as an advocate for people with disabilities and their families,” she said. “Throughout her tenure at the Partnership, she has shown her deep commitment to equity and inclusion time and time again. Her strong values have been a foundation for the Partnership. She will be truly missed.”
Jack M. Brandt, M.S., disability policy specialist with the Partnership, said that Gilles has done much to grow the Partnership's influence.
“Dr. Gilles is dedicated to improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities,” he said. “For the decade I've been working with her, she has listened and supported the lived experiences of people with disabilities and their families, and this is evident in her leadership structure that has included all types of people. Dr. Orelove and Dr. Gilles have grown the Partnership's influence on state and national platforms to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families. This is evident through the recently established Undergraduate Certificate in Disability Studies, which is the first of its kind in Virginia, and the countless other projects and initiatives.”
During her career at VCU, Gilles has served on numerous committees at the national, state, university, and school levels. She has been the author or co-author of over $23 million in grants in her career and is distinguished by service to the US Department of Education, and numerous organizations including the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and TASH (formerly The Association for Persons with Severe Disabilities) where she served as president from 2000 to 2003.
Looking back over her time at VCU, Gilles said that one of her proudest accomplishments has been helping to increase the Partnership’s visibility.
“Dr. Fred Orelove, my predecessor and major architect of the Partnership, had already established deep connections as a tenured professor with the former Department of Special Education and Disability Policy,” she said. “Because I had not worked with the department or SOE to any degree, the Partnership team and I worked very hard to spread the word about the Partnership wherever we went. As a result, I believe that over the last nine years, we have increased our visibility in the community, within the Department of Counseling and Special Education, and in the School of Education. I’m proud of that.”
As she transitions out of the Partnership and the School of Education, Gilles said she’s mindful of some important advice:
“I have been advised by people who know better than I do, to not take it a day at a time, but to have a plan,” she said. “I plan to continue advocating for people with disabilities, do some disability policy work, and possibly work on some political campaigns.”