Kristine Engels

CEO, Life Steps Foundation, Southern California Adult Services

As CEO for Life Steps Foundation SoCal Adult Services, Kristine Engels oversees more than 20 programs that provide services to disabled populations and clients from seven different regional centers. Ms. Engels launched her career in 1968 as a volunteer for the Fairview Developmental Center where she planned recreational outings for the Center’s female residents. Intuitively, she knew she had found her niche. “It was like an epiphany. I knew I belonged here.” With the birth of her son, who had physical and learning challenges, Ms. Engels’s interest in and empathy for the developmentally challenged populations she served grew even keener.

Ms. Engels brings a high level of ingenuity and determination to every task she undertakes. For example, when a beach outing was threatened with cancellation due to insufficient staff, Ms. Engels enlisted the help of neighbors and friends to make it happen. Her consummate initiative and strong work ethic makes her a highly valued member of Harbor Regional Center Board of Directors, the Service Provider Advisory Committee, the Client Service Committee, and the HOPE Board of Directors.

In collaboration with Harbor Regional Center, Ms. Engels developed the Harbor Friendship Center, a facility where adults with developmental disabilities can go to meet and participate in positive, meaningful and safe social experiences. This exemplary program has become a national model that social services agencies around the country now aim to replicate in their communities.

Ms. Engels’ education, both formal and in the field, has combined to give her more than 40 years of experience helping children and adults with developmental disabilities. From Girl Scout leader to assistant teacher, volunteer to committee chair and CEO of SoCal Adult Services at Life Steps Foundation, Ms. Engels has proven to the communities she serves that she is a champion voice for people with developmental disabilities.