Women Of Atlantic County: Deborah Davies, PH.D.

Debbie, an Absecon resident, is the Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of Atlantic County, a private nonprofit organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Debbie has led the organization for nearly 25 years and during that time transformed the agency from a small, grassroots organization with an annual budget of $400,000 to a diversified social service corporation with a $9-million budget that serves 700 people and their families.

In December 2007, Debbie received the Humanitarian Award from the American Conference on Diversity for her efforts to create an inclusive community. She was inducted into the Atlantic County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

Debbie currently serves on the Jewish Community Day School board and the Woodbine Developmental Center Ethics Committee. She is an appointed member of the Governor’s Council on the Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and the Atlantic County Ethics Board. She and her husband, Dr. Marc Lowenstein, Associate Provost at Richard Stockton College, have a passion for travel and have been to 22 countries across the globe. They are members of Congregation Beth Israel.

Deborah Davies, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of Atlantic County and has served in this capacity since 1983. She holds a Ph.D. in mental retardation and cognitive development from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. As CEO of The Arc of Atlantic County, Davies has led the agency from a small, grass roots organization with an annual budget of $400,000, to a diversified social service corporation with a $9 million budget.

During Davies’ twenty-four years at The Arc, she and the agency have become industry leaders in integrating people with developmental disabilities into Atlantic County communities, and advocating for their human rights.

Among many other volunteer roles, Davies was appointed a charter member of the Atlantic County Advisory Commission on Women, is a charter member of The Women’s Leadership Initiative in Atlantic County and has been a member of Soroptimist International of Atlantic City since 1986 serving as their president from 1991 to 1993. In 2005, Davies was inducted into the Atlantic County Women’s Hall of Fame.

www.arcatlantic.org