New Board Member Profile: Christine Plentyhoops
Christine was elected to the board in June of this year, bringing a background in finance, having worked as a financial advisor for the past 24 years. She also previously served on the board of Joshua Station—a community managed by a faith-based nonprofit that serves those experiencing homelessness—after discovering her passion for giving back to the community.
After her service with Joshua Station ended, “I was really missing the opportunity to serve and give back,” Christine said. “I feel like the reason that I'm on this planet is to be of service. And so, I was looking for the right people to serve with.”
As fate would have it, Lori Ropa, The Arc-JCC&GC’s executive director, was a friend of Christine’s already. During a conversation with Lori, Christine learned about the option to serve on The Arc’s board and decided to pursue the opportunity.
“It's morphed into: ‘Wow, this is a really cool community,’” she explained.
Working in a male-dominated industry, Christine is passionate about inclusion as a broader topic and how inclusion can be promoted differently for different groups that each face their own inclusion barriers—including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
“I feel strongly that every person should have a chance to participate and show up,” Christine said. “So many times, it just doesn't work out that way for people. There's a barrier to entry in one way or another, so I care deeply about people being able to fulfill on their heart’s desire to be part of the community.”
In her free time, Christine—a self-described “crazy cat lady”—loves spending time with her two dogs and three cats, including her recently adopted cat, Jelly, a stray kitten that she found during a vacation to Hawaii. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, gardening, and rooting on the New York Mets.
We look forward to all Christine will contribute to our board in the coming years!
To learn more about board service, click here
