Vermont Social Services Pioneer Cheryl Thrall Retires from ARIS Solutions, Which She Co-founded
[White River Junction, VT, January 18, 2024] —ARIS Solutions [arissolutions.org], a Vermont-based 501 (c)-3 nonprofit organization that provides financial services, payroll, administrative and tax-related assistance to individuals, families and non-profits, today announced the retirement of its Co-Executive Director and one of its co-founders, Cheryl “Sherry” Thrall.
Ms. Thrall is retiring from ARIS after nearly 28 years of serving at the helm with Co-Founder and Co-Director Dr. Bill Ashe. Dr. Ashe, also considered a pioneer in the field, retired from his Co-Executive Directorship position last year.
Ms. Thrall and Dr. Ashe started ARIS Solutions during an extremely challenging time for developmental disability services in Vermont. As Thrall recalls, “In the mid-1990s, the state was proposing significant budget cuts that would have drastically impacted people’s ability to be present, active, contributing members of their communities.” Dr. Ashe was then the Executive Director of Vermont’s Upper Valley Services, and Ms. Thrall was the Executive Director at Lincoln Street Inc., a specialized services agency based in Springfield, Vermont. Both organizations serve people with developmental disabilities. As a cost-cutting measure that would enable them to continue providing essential support to the people they serve, Thrall and Ashe agreed to share a chief financial officer for their two organizations. “Once we agreed to that arrangement, Bill [Ashe] and I had lunch at a Friendly’s restaurant with our respective Board Presidents to discuss the plan. It became very clear to us both that our underlying values—our goals for what we wanted to achieve for the people we serve—were the same. We did a lot of research and planning work to launch ARIS, but I’m very proud to say that what began as an idea at a brainstorming lunch has become an increasingly important—and continuously growing—financial-based support lifeline for thousands of people in Vermont and, now, for our nation’s veterans, in more than a dozen other states.”
Long considered one of the pioneering professionals in the disability field in Vermont, Ms. Thrall has had a tireless, career-long dedication to aiding intellectually and otherwise disabled people in the state, both at Lincoln Street Inc and in her work within the Vermont service system. Her dedication has earned her the deep, abiding respect of her peers and colleagues.
Ms. Thrall will continue to serve as Executive Director of Lincoln Street Inc., and as a board member of ARIS Solutions.
She is succeeded in her position by Elizabeth Lundberg, ARIS Solutions’ former Chief Operating Officer and now its new Executive Director. At a recent retirement event for Ms. Thrall, Ms. Lundberg said that she is profoundly grateful for Ms. Thrall’s leadership over the past nearly three decades. “It’s just been an honor and a privilege to work with and for people as visionary and completely dedicated as Sherry and Bill,” Lundberg said. “I clearly have some big shoes to fill.”
At the event, Ms. Thrall thanked the staff of ARIS Solutions for their dedication, and expressed her full confidence in Lundberg and the entire team.
Cheryl “Sherry” Thrall is retiring from her position as Co-Executive Director for ARIS Solutions.
About ARIS Solutions
Since its founding as a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation in 1996, ARIS Solutions has provided financial, payroll, administrative and tax-related services to assist individuals, families and non-profit organizations in an ever-widening circle of critical support. The organization is focused on delivering financially related services to aid those individuals, organizations and agencies in their efforts to ensure that people in need can live in their communities as independently as possible. As a part of its mission, ARIS Solutions supports each individual’s right to choose services and service providers that best meet their needs, in a cost-efficient and accessible manner.
ARIS Solutions has earned an outstanding reputation serving such entities as employers and caregivers, veterans’ payroll services, non-profit agencies and business office and payroll services. While ARIS’s range of services has expanded nationally, its New England roots keep the organization grounded in its commitment to Vermont communities and individuals.
The scope and geographic reach of the services ARIS offers have expanded to meet the growing demands of a complex healthcare and social services system. Throughout the evolution of the social services model in Vermont and elsewhere, ARIS Solutions continues to deliver on its long-standing commitment to provide high-quality and cost-effective services with a “person-centered” approach.
Learn more about Aris Solutions.
For Information:
Theresa Danforth: 802.291.4702