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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3congratulate Ron Melka on the occasion of his retirement as
4the executive director of the Lyons Township Mental Health
5Commission (LTMHC); and
 
6    WHEREAS, Ron Melka began his career as an emergency room
7worker in a hospital trauma center and then served as a
8court-appointed youth advocate coordinator; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Ron Melka has provided leadership in advancing
10the community-based behavioral health system as the executive
11director of the LTMHC since 2013, representing the LTMHC to
12many community groups and initiatives, at both the local and
13State level; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Ron Melka formed, supported, and now chairs the
15Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Lyons Township, where he has
16written and received a 10-year, $1.2 million Federal Drug Free
17Coalition Grant to provide prevention programs for area youth;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Ron Melka has also led several nonprofit
20organizations over his career; he served as a grant writer at
21Aunt Martha's Youth Services and Healthcare, one of the

 

 

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1State's largest service providers; he served as president/CEO
2of United Way of Illinois, working in partnership with
3government and communities addressing issues impacting human
4services, and as the CEO of Youth in Crisis in Berwyn, serving
5youth who are at risk of child abuse, neglect, and running away
6or who are in trouble at home, in school, or in the community;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, Ron Melka has tirelessly chaired and served over
9the years on many statewide boards and commissions, including
10the Illinois Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
11Emergency Food and Shelter State Set Aside Board, the Illinois
12Governor's Human Service Task force, the Governor's Keep Warm
13Illinois Energy Assistance Council, the United Way of America
14Council of States, the Development Committee for the Illinois
15Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council of the Illinois
16Department of Human Services, and others; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Ron Melka has trained over 300 police and fire
18personnel in mental health first aid as a certified mental
19health first aid trainer; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Ron Melka has served as an adjunct professor in
21the Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate Program of
22Public Administration, specializing in ethics, nonprofit
23management, performance measurement, and resource development;

 

 

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1and
 
2    WHEREAS, Ron Melka has been an active member and leader of
3the Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of
4Illinois (ACMHAI), dutifully serving as its president from
52020 to 2022; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Ron Melka brought his expertise and passion for
7helping others to the membership of ACMHAI as an ongoing
8contributor, strong advocate, and skilled spokesperson on
9behavioral health, substance use, and
10intellectual/developmental disabilities; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Ron Melka demonstrated a keen awareness of the
12legislative process and consistently advanced the
13community-based behavioral health system in Illinois while
14serving chair of the ACMHAI Medicaid and Managed Care
15Committee from 2015 to 2020; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
17ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ron
18Melka on his retirement, express our heartfelt gratitude for
19his exceptional service, leadership, and contributions to
20behavioral health, and wish him a joyful and fulfilling
21retirement, knowing his impact will be felt for years to come;
22and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to Ron Melka as an expression of our esteem and
3respect.