Ernie Beal - Chief Operating Officer

Ernie Beal, Chief Operating Officer, http://www.embeal.blogspot.com/ became connected to the field through student experience at the Fort Wayne State Developmental Center. With his initial degree complete, Ernie moved on to law school. Along the way, he worked as a psychiatric attendant at a state mental health facility, a legal intern in Susquehanna Valley Legal Service’s Developmental Disabilities Law Project, and at the National Center for Law and the Handicapped at Notre Dame University. During this time, he authored the first parent’s guide to the All Handicapped Children’s Act. Ernie returned to Fort Wayne in 1977 as a staff attorney at the city’s Human Rights Commission. While in that role, he established Mainstream: an educational rights project to assist parents of children with disabilities to advocate for better services. Following his Human Rights Commission tenure, Ernie developed a regional reputation in his role as a victim’s civil rights attorney. In 1987, he was recruited into the family business. Since then, he has focused on operational matters, including the development of the company’s Indiana and Georgia residential programs. In recent years, Ernie has furthered his academic pursuits, completing a divinity degree and doctoral studies in community-based social services.