CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership is delighted to share that Thane Dykstra, President and CEO of Trinity Services, Inc., and David Ervin, CEO of Makom, are joining its Board of Directors. These recognized voices in the disability services sector have decades of experience at provider organizations and vast expertise involving a wide range of topics that impact the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
“They have more than 60 years of combined experience to offer CQL,” says Laura Vegas, Board Chair of CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership. “Along with that wealth of knowledge, Thane and David truly embody CQL’s values.”
Thane Dykstra is the Chief Executive Officer at Trinity Services, Inc. Thane has expertise in contemporary therapy models including Positive Psychology and its role in person centered planning. Thane is credited for the creation of the National Association of QDDPs (NAQ) in 1996 and he continues to serve in a leadership role for the organization.
“I have observed the profound impact of CQL on Trinity Services for nearly 30 years. It is an honor to join their distinguished Board Of Directors and I look forward to contributing to the CQL mission,” shares Dykstra.
David Ervin has worked in the human services field for more than 35 years. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Makom, a provider organization supporting people in Maryland and Virginia. David is also a published author and speaker, covering topics such as healthcare systems for people with IDD, organizational development, agency transformation, and more.
“I’m honored to join an extraordinary Board of Directors of an organization that has long been at the forefront of influencing the direction of the field of intellectual and/or developmental disabilities,” says Ervin.
About CQL’s Board of Directors
A 15-person Board of Directors governs CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership. It includes nationally-renowned leaders in the field with vast experience in areas such as policy, person-centered supports, research, technology, employment, advocacy, and more.
The Board of Directors is led by its officers:
- Laura Vegas, Chairperson
- Desiree Loucks Baer, Vice Chairperson
- Celia S. Feinstein, Treasurer
- Courtney T. Kelly, Secretary
“David and Thane are a great fit for our board,” adds Mary Kay Rizzolo, President and CEO of CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership. “They really understand the issues affecting the human services field and we’re so lucky that they’ll be providing guidance for our organization.”
Learn More About CQL’s New Board Members
Thane Dykstra
Thane Dykstra has worked at Trinity Services for the past 27 years and has been CEO for the past five years.
Thane has written numerous professional publications related to his field of study, and he has presented extensively at national conferences and invited trainings. His current professional interests include contextual-behavioral therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He is especially interested in applying these models in work with persons who struggle to overcome behavioral challenges. Thane’s interests also include the assessment of risk for persons with intellectual disabilities. Most recently, Thane has been involved in integrating Positive Psychology into person centered planning and recently co-authored a book with Art Dykstra entitled: A New Plan – Using Positive Psychology to Renew the Promise of Person Centered Planning.
Thane holds a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. In addition, he completed a pre-doctoral internship at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. While at Brown, he served as an assistant researcher at the university’s Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies.
Within Illinois state agencies, Thane has served on steering committees and work groups for the Department of Human Services (DHS)–both the Division of Mental Health and the Division of Developmental Disabilities–and the Department of Children and Family Services. He was appointed by the Governor to the state’s Quality Care Board, an advisory committee for the DHS Office of the Inspector General. Thane is a past president of the Illinois Association for Behavior Analysis.
Thane currently serves in a leadership capacity on numerous state-wide organizations such as the Illinois Association for Rehabilitation Facilities, the Institute for Public Policy, They Deserve More, and The Illinois Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council. Thane also serves on the Board of Representatives for the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and the steering committee for the National Association of QDDPs (NAQ).
Thane lives in Chicago’s south suburbs. He enjoys spending time with his family, camping, hiking, geocaching, fishing and disc golf.
David Ervin
David Ervin is CEO of Makom, a community provider organization supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Maryland and Virginia. With more than 35 years in the field, David has extensive professional experience working in and/or consulting to organizations and governments in the US and abroad. He is a published author and speaks internationally on health and healthcare systems for people with IDD, organization development and transformation, and other areas of expertise.
A self-proclaimed ‘pracademician’, David’s research interests include health status and health outcomes experienced by people with IDD, the impact of COVID-19 on people with IDD, the impact of cultural relevance in healthcare delivery to people with IDD, and the impact of integrating multiple systems of care on health outcomes and quality of life.
He has authored a number of peer-reviewed journal and other articles and book chapters on health and healthcare access and impact on people with IDD. David is a consulting editor for three journals, serves on a number of policy and practice committees, including the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/The Arc of the United States Joint Committee on Long Term Services and Supports, and is on the Board of vaACCSES, a Virginia community service provider association.
David’s most significant accomplishments are his family—Sheila, Jakob, Daniel, and Duncan (the big, slobbery beast of the family)—who are unimpressed by lengthy bios but who support him without limit or condition. He’s an occasionally avid cyclist and is addicted to (proper) football.
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About CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership
Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.
Thane Dykstra and David Ervin Join CQL’s Board of Directors