NOTTINGHAM, MD—The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region announced on Thursday that Shawn Kros had been named one of Maryland’s “Most Admired CEOs” by The Daily Record.

The awards program recognizes talented business CEOs and nonprofit executive directors throughout Maryland for their leadership and vision. Kros was selected based on her professional accomplishments, community service, and letters of reference submitted by co-workers, board members and community leaders.

“Shawn is incredibly deserving of this year’s Most Admired CEOs award,” says Bradley Stover, president of The Arc NCR’s governance board of directors. “The Arc NCR has seen an increase in services and growth overall because of her leadership and ability to inspire. She is not only admired by the team and people supported by The Arc NCR, but also by the community that the organization impacts.”

Kros assumed the role of The Arc NCR’s chief executive in August 2010. Prior, she served the organization in varying capacities including Director of Human Resources, Quality Improvement & Training, Director of Treatment Foster Care (TFC), and Director of Family Support Services. Over the years, her contributions to the organization have been abundant, including increasing the overall number of people they support by more than 18% and employees more than 50%.

Most recently, she was an integral part in developing the organization’s new Customized Employment and Discovery Program. This model allows the agency to better meet the employment needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by connecting them with jobs that best align with their personal interests, skills, environmental preferences and overall employment goals. By highlighting an individual’s strengths rather than weaknesses during the employment search, the program has seen wild success. In its first year, 12 participating Harford and Cecil County residents found jobs meaningful to them in the community. In its second year, that number more than tripled. Overall, the unemployment rate among those served by The Arc NCR is 80%, where nationally it is 28% among those with differing abilities.

“Receiving leadership recognition from The Daily Record is an extreme honor,” says Kros. “Furthering The Arc NCR’s mission to empower people with differing abilities to live, work and thrive in the community is of utmost importance, so honors like this encourage me to continue leading the organization with a strategic vision and purpose.”

Kros has received numerous other honors from The Daily Record including her first “Most Admired CEO” award in 2017, a “Most Influential Marylander” in 2018 as well as a Maryland “Top 100 Woman” the same year. She was also named a Leader in Diversity by the Baltimore Business Journal in 2018. Kros earned her undergraduate degree in social work from Dana College and Master’s degree in social work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Pictured: Shawn Kros (left) with Suzanne E. Fischer-Huettner (right), publisher of The Daily Record, at the 2019 Most Admired CEOs awards banquet held November 5 at the BWI Hilton in Linthicum Heights, MD.