The Habilitation Center (HabCenter) is pleased to welcome Maryanne Rodriguez as the organization’s new Director of Advancement and Social Impact.
Maryanne will oversee fundraising efforts, cultivate relationships with community partners and stakeholders, and provide value to the community by pursuing positive social change. By championing community benefits and developing donor stewardship, they will promote the HabCenter, which addresses and supports the critical needs of the adult individuals with developmental and intellectual differences they serve—many of whom are disenfranchised and economically challenged.
Maryanne brings extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, including expertise in leadership development, capacity building, strategic planning, organizational change management, community building, and financial capability. They most recently served as a Sr. Manager of Leadership Programs based in Washington D.C. They led various leadership fellowships and launched an alumni association for over 300 executives and changemakers across nonprofits, foundations, corporations, academia, and social movements. Previously, Maryanne designed and implemented community economic development and direct service programs addressing workforce development, affordable housing, food apartheid, underfunded schools, unbanked and underbanked rates, healthcare coverage, and climate gentrification in low wealth communities.
Maryanne earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Arabic Studies, with a concentration in Border, Exile, and Diaspora Studies from Williams College. They were awarded a nationally-recognized J. Williams Fulbright grant to serve as an English university professor and cultural ambassador in Turkey on the basis of leadership experience and academic merit. As a Miami transplant, they enjoy exploring Palm Beach and Broward County with their partner and their two pups.
Maryanne holds various certifications including Facilitative Leadership for Social Change, NCHEC Financial Capability for Community Development Practitioners, Florida Prosperity Partnership Certified Practitioner in Financial Capability, and IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
About the HabCenter:
HabCenter Boca Raton is a nonprofit organization that opened its doors in 1978 to equip adults with special needs with the knowledge, skills, and behavior needed to lead useful and productive lives with dignity, respect, and independence. HabCenter provides a safe, enriching environment to empower the spirit of those individuals it serves and encourage their unlimited potential. Essential programs the HabCenter offers are Social Services, and mental-wellness counseling, Developmental Training, Programs in Education, Art and Recreation (P.E.A.R.), and Vocational Training within HabCo Manufacturing and the HabCenter Plant Nursery that provide horticultural training. HabCenter also offers local businesses and universities partnership opportunities through HabCo Manufacturing, the Nursery and counseling, special education and occupational therapy internship programs. HabCenter also has a Supported Employment program, which provides competitive integrated employment (CIE) opportunities for clients who can work in the community by preparing them with the knowledge, skills and behaviors they need to be successful. To learn more, visit habcenter.org.