Gwendolyn Tinkle was elected to serve a two-year term on the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (OACB) Board of Trustees at the statewide delegate assembly on December 4, 2024. Her term will commence on January 1, 2025, and continue until December 31, 2026. Tinkle is the first representative from Darke County to serve on this Board and will represent an At-Large Statewide seat.
Tinkle retired as Director of Nursing from the Darke County Home and has served on the Board of Directors for the Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities for the past 8 years. She was recently reappointed for her final four-year term for Darke DD by Judge Jason Aslinger. She and her husband, Barry, live in New Madison. She also serves as President of the New Madison Public Library Board and Secretary of the New Madison United Methodist Church Board.
When asked about her interest in sitting on the OACB Board of Trustees, Tinkle said, “Individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are near and dear to my heart. I like to be able to stay on the cutting edge with new information and want to assist with ensuring our system is planning and preparing for future needs. We should all encourage people to live their lives to the fullest to obtain their goals.”
Tonya Clark, Superintendent of Darke DD, added “Gwen will be a great addition to the OACB Board of Trustees. She always keeps people with developmental disabilities in the forefront when making decisions locally and I’m sure this will carry over to her new role on a statewide level as well. She is a fierce advocate who want to ensure long-term sustainability of Ohio’s county board system, and the supports provided to people in Darke County and across the state.”
The Ohio Association of County Boards of DD is a non-profit organization that provides advocacy, communications, professional development and technical assistance to all 88 of Ohio’s county boards of developmental disabilities. The OACB Board of Trustees is composed of 13 board member trustees and 6 superintendent trustees. OACB strives to ensure the representation of people with developmental disabilities and their family members on the Board of Trustees.
For more information about the Ohio Association of County Boards of DD or Darke DD, visit the respective websites at www.oacbdd.org or www.darkedd.org.