By Mary Grieco
Catholic Herald correspondent

Headwaters gets new executive director

RHINELANDER -- Mary Hardtke, the new executive director of Headwaters Inc., brings to the position an extensive background in running a sheltered workshop. She succeeds Al Pascutti who retired earlier this year.

Headwaters, which is part of Catholic Charities Bureau, serves 105 clients with disabilities and runs a program for children, from birth to 3 years, with disabilities, as well as an after-school program.

"When they started the recruitment for Al's position, what attracted me was the mission and philosophy of Catholic Charities," Hardtke said. "I always wanted to work for an organization that has the same values as I have."

Hardtke, who has degrees in social work and business administration, previously worked for Oconto County. There she headed New View Industries, which has a sheltered workshop. Other responsibilities included working with the food stamp program and training Wisconsin Works (W2) recipients for competitive employment.

At Headwaters, Hardtke hopes to provide as many opportunities and choices for the clients as possible. "It is important to have a variety of work that they can try," she said. "We really believe that if people with disabilities are given more experiences, they can make the right choices for the type of things they want in life.

"If we provide an environment that is safe, respectful and nurturing, it is easy to train clients to develop and reach goals," she added. "People with disabilities can reach their full potential. If we get them trained here, and if they want to transition into competitive employment, we also provide support for them to do that."

Hardtke hopes to introduce more businesses to the quality work done at Headwaters in an effort to acquire additional work contracts. The clients get paid for the work they do, and take pride in their accomplishments. "Companies that trust us with their products find that our quality control is better than most," she noted. "People with disabilities tend to be perfectionists."

With funding cuts inevitable, one of Hardtke's challenges is to "become very creative." She intends to get to know other community agencies and organizations to see where cooperative efforts might be advantageous for all.

While Hardtke and her husband, Ken, are busy getting settled in their new home, she is also involved in planning a celebration on July 15 at Headwaters. On that Sunday afternoon, Bishop Raphael M. Fliss will dedicate a new addition named for Al Pascutti.

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