Inspire. Empower. Achieve. 

These words are echoed by Ray Whitton as he embarks on his new role as Executive Director of Futuristic Industries. Whitton took over for Megan Ward on December 3rd following her decision to step down to spend more time with family. 

"I'm very excited to be here and be a part of such a great organization. For me, it was a no-brainer to see if this was something that might work for myself and for the agency. With a little bit of luck and a whole lot of blessing, I feel very fortunate to be in this role," said Whitton. 

Whitton arrives at the agency with high levels of excitement and passion but also the background to be able to step into the role.

"I've done some similar work in the past. I used to do a lot of volunteer work with Telemiracle and, in a previous life, my background was in education with a focus on special needs. Over time, it was something I hoped to be able to get back to. I think for most people finding work that can make your heart happy, in addition to a greater good, was something that I really wanted to focus on moving forward."

Whitton stepped into the position following the departure of Megan Ward who handled the role for around five years and had nothing but kind words for his predecessor.

"Megan has done a phenomenal job and I've got some huge boots to fill here. She's just been wonderful in terms of getting me started and getting me on the go."

Whitton's first day on the job was on December 3rd and his mantra of "Inspire. Empower. Achieve." shines throughout his words.

"My nature is to be positive. I think that one of the things we can do to inspire other people is to bring that to work; to come to work every day smiling and laughing. I don't know if I've had a better job and I've only been here three days. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that is available for and to the individuals here. I'm looking forward to being a bigger part of the community within this role and bringing Futuristic Industries along for the ride."

Futuristic Industries focuses on providing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate fully as citizens of the community. They provide vocational training, residential support, recreational opportunities, employment support, individuals programs, service and community involvement. Futuristic Industries offers a variety of activities and tasks that focus on enhancing abilities and creating new skills.