Some leaders find a job. Dr. Jeffery Fox found a calling.
Fox joined Abilities First as CEO in July 2013 and more than a decade later, he still describes the organization’s mission as one that overlaps heavily with his own personal mission and vision, which is a world where all people are recognized and valued for the Abilities First. That alignment of purpose and profession is exactly what makes his leadership so compelling.
Under Fox’s leadership, Abilities First has grown into one of the Hudson Valley’s most trusted names in disability services, serving over 1,400 children and adults from preschool through adulthood with a team of more than 650 dedicated employees. The organization delivers a full continuum of care — education, employment, residential, clinical and community services — built upon innovative person-centered care and smart technology solutions to solve real world problems.
Fox’s leadership doesn’t stop at Abilities First’s doors — collaborative and systems-minded, he works to strengthen the entire regional and state-wide network of care. He serves as chair of Hudson Valley Service Providers, a coalition of 26 organizations, all navigating the complexities of local, state and federal change. He sits on the board of the LIFEPlan Care Coordination Organization, which is one of seven organizations authorized to provide care coordination for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2023, he was legislatively appointed to the New York State Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council where he co-chairs a Children’s Services Committee that makes strategic recommendations to the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. In 2024, he joined the board of the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation, where he is now a member of the board’s executive committee.
Fox’s work reaches well beyond disability services — into the heart of the regional economy. HVEDC, the Hudson Valley’s leading economic development agency, promotes the seven-county region on the strength of its skilled workforce and exceptional quality of life. Abilities First advances both. Through its employment services, the organization helps people with disabilities find and keep meaningful work, expanding a talent pipeline that HVEDC’s member businesses increasingly value. As a 650-plus-employee organization, Abilities First is also a significant regional employer in its own right — and the education, residential, and community services it provides help make the Hudson Valley a place where families can live, work and thrive.
Fox began working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a volunteer at the Newark Developmental Center in the 1980s, earned all of his degrees from SUNY Buffalo, including a doctorate in educational psychology in 2008, and has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed research articles. It’s this rare blend of researcher’s rigor and advocate’s heart that defines him and allows him to continue to put Abilities First, one life at a time.
