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Jennifer Bertrand, Policy Co-Chair
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Cell Phone: (603)-930-1235
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 22, 2016
New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities Selects Senator Jeanie Forrester and Representative Frank Kotowski as 2016 Outstanding Legislators of the Year; as well as Jan Skoby as Virginia Bowden Advocate of the Year
CONCORD, NH - The New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities is pleased to announce their selection of two Outstanding Legislator of the Year award recipients for 2016: Jeanie Forrester and Frank Kotowski; and one recipient of the 2016 Virginia Bowden Advocacy Award: Jan Skoby.
The Outstanding Legislator of the Year award is presented annually to policy makers who have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. This year, there are two recipients. The Council is recognizing Senator Forrester for her responsive leadership, support, and sponsorship of Senate Bill 553, relative to the implementation of managed care. The Council is also recognizing Representative Kotowski for his respectful leadership as Chairman of the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee, passing health care and disability-related legislation in a bipartisan manner while ensuring that stakeholders were heard. The efforts of both Forrester and Kotowski will positively impact individuals who experience developmental disabilities.
The Virginia Bowden Advocacy Award is presented annually to a person with disabilities or a family member for extraordinary leadership and commitment to the cause of dignity, equal rights, and full participation of people with disabilities in New Hampshire. This year, Jan Skoby of Pembroke, NH is being recognized for her work supporting people with disabilities over the past several years. Skoby works for the Bureau of Developmental Services, and also supports People First of New Hampshire, a self-advocacy group that strives for equal rights for people with disabilities in every aspect of life. Skoby is a great asset for New Hampshire, known for going above and beyond her scope of work in everything that she does.
Forrester, Kotowski, and Skoby will be recognized and presented with their respective awards on Thursday, December 1, 2016, at the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities Holiday Gathering and Awards Ceremony, which takes place at the Holiday Inn on 172 North Main Street, Concord, NH, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities is an independent state agency committed to the mission of “dignity, full rights of citizenship, equal opportunities and full participation for all New Hampshire citizens with developmental disabilities.”
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