COFAR blog

By Joe Corrigan

COFAR would like to congratulate Judi Lydon-Ruby, recipient of the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service.

Judi is director of the Wrentham Developmental Center (WDC). She has had a long history with WDC, starting at the age of 16 in their kitchen until becoming director in 2018.

Roughly two years ago, we all woke up to learn of a growing pandemic the likes of which haven’t been seen in 100+ years. Most of us began to take precautions in our own immediate families by masking, distancing, etc.

Judi Lydon-Ruby

Now imagine also having responsibility for an additional approximately 1,000 staff and nearly 200 very vulnerable residents with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and medical frailties in a campus setting. This describes the daunting task Judi was facing.

Beyond creating difficulties for staff in continuing to provide great everyday care for the residents, the pandemic created challenges that nobody was prepared for.

Throughout the pandemic, Judi has adapted to the challenges requiring masking, distancing, quarantining, isolation, testing, innoculations, vaccination mandates, resource balancing, hiring and training for infectious disease and more. She created a plan where there was none and no doubt helped people survive.

Given all that and more, the WDC Board of Trustees, along with support from the Wrentham Families Association, nominated Judi for the Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award in September 2021. The nomination was well received by the administration, and on January 10, 2022, Judi received the award.

Congratulations to Judi and her staff for a continuing job well done.

(Joe Corrigan is a COFAR Board member. His sister Patricia is a resident at WDC.)