RIPIN SEEKS PARENTS, CARETAKERS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS TO SERVE ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN) seeks dedicated, knowledgeable, and diverse community members with an interest in serving on its Board of Directors. The Board steers RIPIN’s strategic direction and serves as a steward to ensure the advancement of RIPIN’s mission. 

RIPIN’s charter requires that a majority of Board members must be parents or caretakers of a child with a disability or special need, birth to age 26. Based on current Board composition, RIPIN is only able to consider applicants who meet this definition.

About RIPIN

RIPIN deploys a peer model to support people with special healthcare and education needs across the whole lifespan. Founded in 1991 by a group of parents of children with special needs, RIPIN continues to be peer-led: a majority of our board and more than three-fourths of our staff are parents or caretakers of loved ones with special needs. RIPIN’s peer professionals now help more than 45,000 Rhode Islanders every year navigate healthcare, schools, and other support systems.

Summary of Role

RIPIN’s Board steers the organization’s strategic direction, ensures advancement of RIPIN’s mission, oversees the work of the Executive Director and senior leadership team, and ensures appropriate organizational governance. Board members have the following obligations:

• Reflect and represent the voice of the communities we serve.
• Attend monthly board meetings, currently held virtually in the evening on the third Monday of every month. Board meeting materials are provided in advance, and members are expected to have reviewed the material before the meeting.
• Obligations outside of the meetings are minimal, though board members occasionally are asked to attend events or provide strategic advice to the Executive Director or senior leadership about an area in which he or she has expertise. Board officers (e.g. chair, treasurer, secretary) engage in more work outside of monthly meetings. 
• RIPIN’s board does not currently engage in significant fundraising activities.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate:

• Is the parent or caretaker of a child with a disability or special need, birth to age 26;
• Would add to the diversity of the Board;
• Has a demonstrated commitment to RIPIN’s mission;
• Has experience in or knowledge about the fields of healthcare, special education, Early Intervention, healthy aging, disability rights, accounting, and/or nonprofit or business management, whether through professional, educational, or personal experience.

Interested applicants should complete this application and email it (together with a resume) to Sam Salganik at Salganik@ripin.org.