New Superintendent & CEO Announced

Cuyahoga DD is pleased to announce its selection of Amber C. Gibbs as Superintendent and CEO effective May 1, 2023, pending approval by the Board at its November 17, 2022, meeting.

Gibbs joined Cuyahoga DD in 2008 and has served in a variety of supervisory and leadership roles, most recently as Chief Administrative Services Officer. Her notable accomplishments include:

• Leading a major effort to eliminate the waiting list in Cuyahoga County and to find ways to serve the needs of all 13,000 county residents with developmental disabilities and their families.
• Overseeing several key service departments, a staff of 300 and budgets of more than $40 million.
• Building a culture of service excellence throughout the organization.

A leader at the state level with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and other county boards, Gibbs was recognized in 2018 with the Ohio Association of County Board’s Partners in Excellence Award for her groundbreaking work to eliminate the statewide Medicaid waiting list.

“Amber is the right person to lead Cuyahoga County in serving the needs of our citizens with developmental disabilities,” Cuyahoga DD Board President Cynthia V. Schulz said. “She absolutely stood out in our robust search process. The Board has confidence in Amber’s innovative approach to assisting and including in our community a special population we all care deeply about.”

“I am honored to have been selected for this important role and grateful to work with the incredibly talented staff at Cuyahoga DD who passionately support our mission,” Gibbs said. “I look forward to leading our agency as we continue our efforts to embrace diversity and find creative ways to support people with developmental disabilities in our community and throughout the Ohio DD system.”

Gibbs holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wittenberg University, a master’s degree in social science and psychology from the University of Chicago, and she expects to complete a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of Dayton in 2023. She lives in Cleveland with her husband and three daughters.

Gibbs will succeed Kelly Petty, who has served as Superintendent and CEO since 2013 and will retire in April 2023.