Honor Hanns Meissner Retirement

Senate Resolution No. 5136 BY: Senator BRESLIN HONORING Hanns Meissner, PhD. upon the occasion of his retirement after 39 years of dedicated service to the Arc of Rensselaer County WHEREAS, Individuals and organizations devoted to improving the quality of life for others, enabling them to build lives of dignity and self-worth are deserving of the highest praise and recognition; and WHEREAS, From time to time, society calls upon these individuals and organizations to be recognized for the significance of their contributions and efforts to assist others in developing the skills necessary to be successful, productive citizens; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Hanns Meissner, PhD. upon the occasion of his retirement after 39 years of dedicated service to the Arc of Rensselaer County, to be celebrated with a Party in his honor on Wednesday, May 30, 2018; and WHEREAS, Hanns Meissner is the Chief Executive Officer of the Arc of Rensselaer County in Troy, New York, where he has worked to promote the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in all aspects of community life since 1979; and WHEREAS, In this capacity, Hanns Meissner has been instrumental in the transformation of group services to a more compassionate and individualized one; and WHEREAS, Hanns Meissner is truly a leader in promoting social innovations as a way to bring forth vibrant, diverse communities at the local, state, national, and international levels; and WHEREAS, Holding a Ph.D. in Organization Development from Union Institute, Hanns Meissner has consulted with many organizations in strategic management, organization development, leadership and team development, and person centered approaches; and WHEREAS, Additionally, he was an Academic Director and Associate Professor with Antioch Graduate School in the Department of Organization and Management for more than 17 years; and WHEREAS, The author of Creating Blue Space, Hanns Meissner shares Arc of Rensselaer County's calling to support individuals with disabilities as citizens of their communities; describing the difficult journey in challenging old models to create room for new ideas, he narrates his agency's discovered pathways to leverage their way out of group-based services through an organizational culture of appreciation and innovation; and WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife and two daughters, who have all shown him love and support and rejoice in his many achievements; and WHEREAS, For nearly four decades, Hanns Meissner rendered faithful, conscientious and valuable service to the Arc of Rensselaer County, earning the admiration, esteem and affection of his colleagues; and WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the occurrence of such a compassionate blending of strength, leadership, intellect, and commitment as that demonstrated by Hanns Meissner over a lifetime of sacrifice and dedication to others; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Hanns Meissner upon the occasion of his retirement after 39 years of dedicated service to the Arc of Rensselaer County; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Hanns Meissner, PhD.