Photo of Kyle Lininger wearing a blue suit with a blue and white checkered shirt. Photo of Anne Levy wearing a bright pink shirt.

Two Local Leaders Recognized with Diane Lynn Anderson Memorial Award

The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is pleased to recognize Kyle Lininger and Anne Levy as the 2021 Diane Lynn Anderson Memorial Award recipients. They will receive their awards at CFSA’s Annual Event on May 19, 2021. Kyle is the Director of Integrated Care and DD/IS Services for Intermountain Centers for Human Development, and Anne is the Executive Director of Deaf and Residential Services (DRS) for the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf (COPD).

Established in 1990, this award honors individuals in Southern Arizona who exemplify the same qualities that Diane Lynn Anderson possessed: active acceptance, respect, compassion, devotion, and caring for people with disabilities.

One of the original contributors to the Diane Lynn Anderson Memorial Award shared, “Because Diane knew firsthand the difficulties that people with physical disabilities are confronted with, she made herself available directly to those facing problems; she never wanted anyone to feel lost. Diane was also involved in helping to get systems set up that would continue to provide help.”

Kyle Lininger has dedicated his professional life to ensuring that persons with developmental disabilities are treated with respect and compassion and that healthcare systems address care for these individuals. In conjunction with his work at Intermountain Services, Kyle is also the Director of Behavior Consultation Services in Northern Arizona. He is a board-certified Behavior Analyst and holds a master’s degree in Public Administration.

In his nominating letter, Rose Lopez, CEO of Intermountain Centers, shared, “Kyle’s work has proven to be invaluable to families across the state who have a family member on the autism spectrum. His advocacy work is impressive and has had direct impacts on the improvement of services, licensing and supervision regulations, and state regulatory and compliance standards for the ASD community.”

Among his many accomplishments, the most notable is Kyle’s development and administration of a nationally accredited alternative school, Intermountain Academy, which serves 112 children with ASD. Kyle provides further training to educators through Child-Parent Services and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and has served as Public Policy Committee Chair for the Arizona Association for Behavior Analysis and as the Center for Disease Control Prevention Act Early Ambassador.

Upon the announcement of the award, Kyle shared, “Awards like this go to individuals, but I would be remiss if I did not share a core belief of mine shaped by experience: very little that is worth doing really gets done or is sustained without meaningful community partnerships and dedicated colleagues. Thank you, CFSA, for all that you do to serve Southern Arizona and Southern Arizonans, and thank you for this award.”

Anne Levy has dedicated her life to supporting the deaf community in Southern Arizona through her work at Community Outreach Program for the Deaf (COPD). Anne’s journey with COPD began in 1980, after receiving her master’s degree in Counseling for the Deaf from Gallaudet University. Anne worked providing counseling services and services coordination for years, developing opportunities and increasing services throughout Arizona.

As programs expanded, Anne was invited to present at various conferences regarding new strategies and best practices in serving Deaf persons.  Anne’s position grew, and she began assuming responsibilities for services throughout Arizona and in New Mexico.  With services continuing to develop, Anne started overseeing a group of four organizations known as Deaf and Residential Services (DRS). She took on the role of Executive Director of DRS in 1999.

In Anne’s nomination letter, Thomas Galey, Associate Director at COPD, shared, “Anne believes that every individual who is deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind, as well as individuals with disabilities, have their own gifts and abilities. During her time with COPD, approximately 10,000 residents of Arizona and New Mexico who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind were impacted by her commitment to the betterment of their lives.”

Upon announcement of her award, Anne expressed, “I am eternally grateful for my life’s work – my soul’s expression. I am humbled by being nominated by people who have shared in this work.”

It is compassionate leaders like Kyle and Anne who drive Southern Arizona’s progress to become a vibrant and inclusive community for all.

To learn more about the Diane Lynn Anderson Memorial Award and see a complete list of past recipients, please visit cfsaz.org/awards.