Maureen F. Walsh
Executive Director, Devereux New Jersey
by Cristin Farney

With the same level-headed sense of purpose and commitment that she brings to her demanding job as executive director of Devereux New Jersey, Maureen F. Walsh made just one New Year’s resolution this year. “I think it’s best to really focus on one resolution and make it attainable over the course of the year,” Walsh said.

With that in mind, Walsh will seek work-life balance in 2012 – a lofty goal for a devoted and compassionate executive director of a $40 million behavioral health nonprofit that employs 170 people in Gloucester County, 650 statewide. With its West Deptford headquarters practically right around the corner from her West Deptford home of 13 years, Walsh finds that the convenience of working so close to home means that she can work late into the night or on weekends. “Sometimes, in the fall when my husband Bill is absorbed in watching football on TV, I can ‘sneak’ out of the house to go to the office, work for a few hours, and then come home and he’s none the wiser,” Walsh joked.

A Pennsylvania native, Walsh has been with Devereux for 29 years. She first worked at Devereux in Pennsylvania, where she was recruited by the organization to develop community-based programs. She quickly rose the ranks within the organization and proved to be a change maker. When the Department of Human Services began discussions with Devereux in 1997 about expanding its services to this side of the Delaware River, Walsh was tapped to create Devereux New Jersey. Each year the nonprofit serves approximately 500 children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, autism, or emotional and behavioral disorders through a broad spectrum of services that create a diversified network of support, including community residences (apartments and “group homes”), vocational day programs, educational programs, and treatment family homes (“foster homes”). Some of the first Devereux New Jersey programs that Walsh launched were in Gloucester County: a day vocational program based on Route 45 in Woodbury, across from Hollywood Diner, and five group homes across the county. After a 2007 fire forced the relocation of its offices, Devereux moved its state administrative headquarters from Woodbury to where they are now, on Mantua Grove Road in West Deptford, about a half mile from Exit 19 off of Route 295.

Walsh’s ambitious goal was to be able to serve New Jersey residents in every region of the state within five years of establishing Devereux New Jersey. She succeeded. Today, while Devereux continues to have its strongest presence in Gloucester County, thanks to Walsh’s vision the organization operates programs and serves people from the skyline of New York City to the shoreline of southern New Jersey. In addition to West Deptford, programs and administrative offices operate in Bridgeton (Cumberland County), Mays Landing (Atlantic County), Morganville (Monmouth County), Somerset (Somerset County), Hasbrouck Heights (Bergen County), Totowa and Wayne (Passaic County.)

What means the most to Walsh, however, is not the scope of the programs, but the impact on each individual that Devereux cares for. “I love that we can make a difference in the lives of those we serve,” Walsh said. “We can provide each individual with a higher quality of life, integrating them into the community so that they become contributing members of society, residing in the least restrictive setting possible.” Of all of the individuals who Walsh has served throughout her career, one in particular tugs at her heart the most, reminding her every day of why she chose this career. When Walsh worked in Pennsylvania, a young teenage girl, and Gloucester County native, named Diane (not her real name) came to live on a Devereux campus after being rejected by other programs as being “too difficult.” She had violent outbursts and a tendency to run away, both challenging behaviors for staff to manage. After many years of dedication and guidance from Devereux staff, Diane grew into a happy young woman who could live successfully in a group home setting. Today, Diane lives in a supervised apartment in Gloucester County, only a half hour from her extended family – close enough to visit on holidays and weekends. As a part of her vocational program, sometimes Diane, now 43, helps in the Devereux West Deptford office, where Walsh is reminded every time she sees her on just how far she’s come. “It we didn’t accept her, she wouldn’t be where she is today,” Walsh said.

Walsh finds it difficult to step away from work because it’s not just a job. Every decision, every discussion, directly impacts people’s lives – individuals and families who turn to Devereux New Jersey to care for their loved ones. With that heavy level of responsibility, Walsh knows that her 2012 New Year’s resolution to attain a better work-life balance is lofty indeed. However, she also knows that to continue to be the strongest possible advocate and leader for Devereux individuals, she needs to take some time for herself to unplug, unwind, and enjoy herself. In the new year, Walsh plans to dust off books that she’d like to read (history and “beach reads” are her favorites), pick up the guitar again, and take more walks with her American Eskimo dog, Cagney.

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Cristin Farney
Development Manager
Devereux New Jersey
286 Mantua Grove Road, Blg. #4
West Deptford, NJ 08066
856-599-6042
856-599-6401 (fax)
cfarney@Devereux.org