George Suess

George Suess, M.S., retired, worked with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for nearly 50 years. Most recently employed by The Arc of Delaware County, NY (Delarc) for 36 years and has served as CEO for the past 29. Delarc is best known for its values-based leadership, proactive philosophy, and positive approach.

Delarc has published three best-selling works by Mr. Suess.  Shift Happens . . . Making the Shift to Proactive Behavior Management, Vantage Point. . . A Dynamic Approach to Employee Orientation, and Welcome to Caring Without Restraint.  These publications stress the importance of a person-centered, high-performing culture featuring innovative and highly successful human resources initiatives. They do so by showing organizations how to build strong cultures by incorporating their corporate values into their recruitment, selection, orientation, training, supervisory, time management and performance review processes which result in higher quality for individuals with disabilities, great staff morale and thrilled families.

Ever on the alert for ways to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, Mr. Suess was the first paying customer of TRAP. And it was one of the best decisions he ever made. Through TRAP, Delarc was able to communicate with people who previously were non- or partially communicative. Teachers were now able to communicate, instruct, and support people they previously had difficulty reaching. People with disabilities were better able to communicate, which opened the door to increased learning and significant growth in self-esteem. Delarc hosted TRAP introductory sessions for local providers, and Mr. Suess has advised dozens of other organizations to utilize TRAP. He continues to proudly serve on the TRAP Advisory Board.