Charlynn Willis
President
Member since 2005
I am excited to again be the President of SIM. I first joined on 7/1/05 after years of hearing about this wonderful organization. I was the Chief Recreation Therapist at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center and the time was right.
I started my professional life while some of my family were still young, beginning with a job as recreation aide with the developmentally disabled. Eventually I worked for the NYS Department of Mental Health in various capacities, including 18 years as an administrator. I retired from the State in 2011 after 26 years of service.
Academically I hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Therapeutic Recreation. In 2005 I earned a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and I have started a private practice in NYC and Westchester NY.
It is my pleasure to serve my fellow members in providing resources for other women to succeed in life. I think of it as honoring those who stood behind and alongside me (and even occasionally pulled me forward) as I changed my life in the 1980's. Most of us, if not all, need that helping hand. SIM gives us that chance to change lives. Whether by one woman at a time or through an entire organization in Africa every effort is worth what is put into it. Every person that SIM helps is worth it.