Leadership Bios

Marsha S. Blanco is the president and chief executive officer of the ACHIEVA family of organizations.  She has thirty years experience in government and the not-for-profit sector as an executive, manager, board member, and volunteer in organizations serving people with disabilities.  She has served as a management consultant to more than 100 not-for-profit organizations and has conducted seminars and retreats in areas of board development, strategic and operational planning, corporate structure, and volunteer management.  She has served on twenty two national, state and local Boards, and Councils – seven as an officer for disability-related causes.  She is a frequent speaker at national and state conferences on advocacy and professional best practices in the field of disabilities. Marsha received her B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Ray Rykaceski is the executive vice president of the ACHIEVA family of organizations. He has over thirty years of experience in the government and non-profit sectors, supporting individuals with disabilities and their families, as both an executive and manager. Prior to being named executive vice president, Ray was the president of ACHIEVA Support (formerly COMPRO). He has been a trustee and an officer on numerous non-profit boards and a volunteer for many community and church-related committees and activities. Ray is a military veteran, serving with the US Army in Berlin, Germany. Ray received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in educational psychology, both from Wayne State University.

Gary K. Horner is the chief financial officer of the ACHIEVA family of organizations.  He has twenty six years experience in government and the not-for-profit sector as an executive and manager.  He currently serves as Vice President for the National Conference of Executives of The Arc (NCE) and as a member of The Arc of the United States Finance Committee.  Gary received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 from Carnegie Mellon University in Administrative Management Science and Social Science and his Master's of Business Administration in 1989 from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.

Reid Wolfe is the president of ACHIEVA Support. He has twenty nine years experience in the human service field. He has held positions with provider organizations as residential director, vocational director, and coordinator of partial hospitalization program. He has served as Assistant Deputy Director for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities. He has also served on numerous local and state committees as well as President of the Greater Pittsburgh Supported Employment Association.

Kathleen D. Hendrickson Esq. is president of ACHIEVA Family Trust. The ACHIEVA Family Trust serves people with disabilities and their families by managing all types of special needs trusts.  Kathy received her B.A. in 1976 from Trinity College (Washington, D.C.) and her J.D. in 1979 from New York University where she was a Root Tilden Kern Scholar.  Before joining the ACHIEVA Family Trust, Kathy was a partner at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP.  She clerked for the Honorable Joseph F. Weis, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1979-1981.

Nancy J. Murray is the president of The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh. She has 30 years of experience in the disabilities field in the areas of public policy, advocacy, supports coordination, medical care and state government serving people with disabilities and their families. She has conducted hundreds of seminars/workshops and has written numerous articles for families and professionals on disability issues. Nancy received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Gettysburg College and her master's in child development from the University of Pittsburgh.