Barbara Pilarcik (photo above)
Executive Director

Barbara Pilarcik joined The Association For Community Living in 1985.  Formerly Director of the Intensive Residential Services and Specialized Home Care Divisions of The Association, she became Executive Director in February, 2009.

Educated and licensed as a Registered Nurse, Barbara has worked in health care and human services since 1963.  She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, magna cum lauda, from American International College.  Her previous work experience includes psychiatric, obstetric and school health nursing in Ohio and Massachusetts. She has also worked as Regional Director of the Massachusetts Mental Health Association, the Psychiatric Crisis Center and as the Regional Appeals Mediator for the Department of Mental Health.

In her role at The Association, Barbara served for four years as the State President of the Massachusetts ICF / MR providers, resulting in significant stabilization of this program.  As a member of the ANCOR national legislation committee, she helped ensure the passage of federal tax legislation in the 2002.

Congress.  She served on the Department of Mental Retardation Strategic Planning Committee for Health Care, as chairperson of the Regional Complex Medical Needs Task Force, and is the immediate past President of the Western Massachusetts Service Providers.  Currently she is a member of the Board of Director of the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers.

Barbara co-authored a grant and published Supporting Individuals with Cognitive Limitations during Hospitalization: a Training Manual.  This publication and other health materials have been selected for The Quality Mall, a national website featuring information of importance in the field of developmental disabilities.  She has presented at state, national, and international conferences and is currently on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Nursing in Intellectual Disabilities. As a member of professional delegations, she has visited services for individuals with developmental disabilities in China, Romania, Moldova and South Africa.  Barbara also served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in Rolland v. Cellucci and to the Evans Court Monitor in Washington, DC.

As a volunteer, Barbara served as President of the Springfield Area Board and the Mental Health Association, where she organized the first community residence for people leaving Northampton State Hospital, an effort which also gained a police escort from Springfield City Council chambers.  She has been a member of the first DSS Advisory board, the Comprehensive Mental Health Center, Child and Family Services, The Visiting Nurse of Western New England Ethics Committee, the Massachusetts Mental Health Association Executive Committee and the Charles River West Hospital Human Rights Committee.  As a member of the Minnechaug Land Trust, she was instrumental in raising over one million dollars for the purchase of the Rice Nature Preserve in Wilbraham and continues to serve on the Minnechaug Land Trust.  She and her husband, Tom have three adult children and four grandchildren.

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