Norfolk-based Hope House Foundation’s executive director retires after 4 decades
Lynne Seagle has dedicated her life’s work to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
After 44 years with Hope House Foundation, the executive director announced she retired on Jan. 5.
Shannon Pociask, services director at Hope House, will step in to the executive director role.
Started in 1964, the Norfolk-based foundation works tirelessly to ensure independence and community inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through its supportive living services. The nonprofit serves more than 120 people in Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
Seagle said in a news release that it’s been her privilege to lead changes in the field to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
“Although the changes are monumental, the wishes and desires of the people we serve are simple — to live a life in the community surrounded by family and friends,” she said.
Seagle, who worked as a special-education teacher before she joined Hope House in 1978 as director of residential services, has always had a heart for those in need.
She started her career as a live-in staff member in a group home, which she said led her to become an advocate for a person’s right to make their own choices and live in their own home within the community.
While she was in college at Old Dominion University — earning both her bachelor’s degree in special education and master’s in public administration and educational leadership, she worked as a direct support professional for the Arc of Norfolk, which later merged its services with Hope House.
She was named executive director in 1982 and served in that position for the past four decades.
In the mid-1980s, motivated by inclusivity and person-centered services, she transitioned Hope House from providing support to people in group homes. By 1995, all of the organization’s clients lived in their own apartments.
Viewed as a mover and shaker in the inclusivity field, Seagle’s knowledge and experience has reached throughout the U.S., Canada, Asia and England. She has been a leading partner in The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities since its inception in 2006.
In 2021, Seagle was bestowed the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award by the Arc, the largest national community-based organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her long list of awards include: Administrator of the Year, Virginia Community Living Association; Leadership Award, American Association on Intellectual Disabilities; Future Leaders, Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation; and Honoree, National Historical Recognition Project.
Although stepping down from her position, Seagle said she will continue to consult with Hope House Foundation and other organizations and businesses on strategic planning, team-building and leadership development. She will also continue to do public speaking on a variety of topics.
“My hope is for continued inclusion for all,” she said.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
