Transitions holds annual dinner, announces Williams Award winner

QUINCY — Board members, staff, donors and friends of Transitions gathered Nov. 16 at the Holiday Inn to celebrate the agency’s accomplishments during the past year. Mark Schmitz, executive director of Transitions, served as host to the approximately 120 guests in attendance.

Transitions of Western Illinois, the Transitions Association and the Transitions Foundation also celebrated Transitions’ service to the area and jointly held their annual meetings.

During the program, board members and staff of the agency were honored by Dave Rakers, chair of the Transitions Foundation board; Curt Wavering, chair of the Transitions Association board; and Mark Hayes, chair of the Transitions board.

Retiring Foundation board members recognized were Steve Siebers, Carl Adams and Matt Ehrhart. Retiring from the Transitions Association board was Jayne Fry, and from the Transitions board, Jeanne Hill and Michelle Bozarth. Also recognized were retiring board chairmen Wavering and Hayes.

New board members are Kris Rueter, Foundation board; Matt Koontz and Craig Kurk, Association board; and Reagan Costigan and Wavering, Transitions board. Matt Kasparie will serve as chairman of the Association board for the 2023-24 term, and Dr. Bob Reich will be as chairman of the Transitions board for the 2023-24 term.

The following individuals were recognized for reaching milestone years of service with Transitions:

5 years

• Nick Davis
• Sheila Griffin
• Jerod Welker
• Carol Harlow
• Teri Killday
• John King
• Tiffany Huston
• Cheyanne Rankin
• Marissa Edwards
• Shellie Parde
• Beth Kerr
• Cory Williams.

10 years

• Rachael Brink
• Kathy Downin
• David Kroner

15 years

• Liz Hoskins
• Reta Webster

20 years

• Marcie Kramer

25 years

• Jessica Peters
• Penny Holtschlag

40 years

• Valerie Robinson

50 years

• Barbara Baker Chapin

Annually, Transitions presents the Williams Award to a staff member who goes above and beyond in the performance of his or her job responsibilities, who quietly does his or her job and whose efforts often go unnoticed. The recipient is a staff person who has been nominated by his or her peers. The award is named for Dr. Keith Williams, a psychiatrist who served the agency for nearly 30 years.

This year’s Williams Award was presented to Dave Hummel, a member of the agency’s maintenance team. Hummel has been employed by Transitions for almost two years.

In a press release, Schmitz said, “This year’s Williams Award winner is described by peers as friendly and always having a smile on his face. In addition to being a valuable member of his team and the agency, he goes above and beyond to make others happy. Although this employee had little experience in the human service field before coming to Transitions, he embraced the agency’s mission, relates so well to the consumers we serve, and has ‘jumped right in’ to assist with special events.

Prior to announcing the winner of the Williams Award, Schmitz introduced two former winners of the award, Ali Scott and Jessica Peters. These two staff members were selected as Williams Award winners during the pandemic when the agency did not host an annual dinner.

Transitions of Western Illinois is a not-for-profit mental health and rehabilitation services provider, with offices at 4409 Maine in Quincy and nine other locations in the Quincy area. The agency primarily serves residents of Adams County, with crisis services provided in many of the counties surrounding Adams. The agency was founded in 1955 as the Adams County Mental Health Center. Annually, the agency serves approximately 7,000 area residents.