Excentia Human Services would like to celebrate the extraordinary work of one of our most devoted employees: Connie Walp, Director of Early Childhood Services. After many years at Excentia, Connie is retiring and moving on to the next chapter of her life. She has been a loyal and committed team member who embodies the core values this organization was built on.
Connie’s career began over 40 years ago as an occupational therapist and over the course of those 40 years, she would become a leader in the field of disability services. Connie worked alongside Dr. S. June Smith helping to create programs that responded to the needs of Lancaster’s early childhood community in a myriad of ways. She was instrumental in assisting families to understand their child’s developmental requirements. Connie has been a trailblazer, developing innovative initiatives for Excentia that met the changing complexities we see in the community.
Connie is a respected and cherished colleague, supervisor, and friend. Her staff say they are grateful for her wealth of knowledge, humor, fairness, dedication, commitment to best practices, and support of others in the field. Read on for some of the kind words and well wishes sent by the Early Childhood Services staff.
“I can’t imagine a better boss for the past 7 years. I will be forever grateful for the smooth transition that you provided and the stellar leadership and friendship during the time I have worked for Excentia Human Services. This is the best group of people I could ever imagine working for! I will miss you greatly Connie and wish you all the best in your retirement filled with lots of family time and everything else that brings you joy!”
“It was Connie who took a chance on me to work as an evaluator in the First Step program way back in the early 2000s. I can’t thank you enough for that! What a door that opened for me. It has been a pleasure working with and for you all these years!”
“We wish you the very best Connie! You are one of the reasons a young support coordinator went back to school to become a PT. Thank you for your many years of service, kindness, and wisdom.”
“There are too many words to summarize here, but thank you Connie from the bottom of my heart. Through your leadership, I always felt secure, covered, empowered, encouraged, and so much more. I have held many jobs throughout my life, but none compares to this – in large part, due to you! Much love and hopes for the very best for you and your family!”
“Connie, your wisdom, guidance, and belief in my ability has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and I’m grateful.”
“The words “thank you” don’t really seem to capture it. The guidance, warmth, and belief in my abilities (even when I was doubting them) have been very much appreciated. I am very fortunate to be a part of such a great team. Thank you for your help in making my career transition from life in the schools over to the Infant & Toddler world so smooth. I wish you all the best in your retirement and hope that you get to have many wonderful experiences.”
“Just want to say another big thank you for all you have done for our group! When I decided to return to some part time work last fall, and connected with you about working for Excentia, it felt completely natural coming to work for you. After 8 years at home with my kids, it was an easy transition back for me, since you and all the therapists have welcomed me and helped me along the way. A big thank you and best wishes as you move on to this next chapter!”
“Connie, you’ve been an integral part of my role and growth in early intervention and a strong influence on my professional development since 2006! As a support coordinator, I remember distinctly receiving positive feedback from you in my early Early Intervention days. Not only was it uplifting, but it helped fuel my focus to find out exactly what I wanted my long-term role to be in my career. It also helped inspire me to take a more active role in connecting with those earlier in their career to help them build confidence and learn more about what tools they bring to the table. The positive, forward-minded perspective of the team stuck with me and led me to stay connected over the years and allowed me to have my current role today. All of this is a direct result of your leadership, so THANK YOU! Very excited for you and your next chapter of life!”
