SR0565 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0565 LRB103 35102 MST 65059 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Ron Melka on the occasion of his retirement as the executive director of the Lyons Township Mental Health Commission (LTMHC); and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka began his career as an emergency room worker in a hospital trauma center and then served as a court-appointed youth advocate coordinator; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka has provided leadership in advancing the community-based behavioral health system as the executive director of the LTMHC since 2013, representing the LTMHC to many community groups and initiatives, at both the local and State level; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka formed, supported, and now chairs the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Lyons Township, where he has written and received a 10-year, $1.2 million Federal Drug Free Coalition Grant to provide prevention programs for area youth; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka has also led several nonprofit organizations over his career; he served as a grant writer at Aunt Martha's Youth Services and Healthcare, one of the State's largest service providers; he served as president/CEO of United Way of Illinois, working in partnership with government and communities addressing issues impacting human services, and as the CEO of Youth in Crisis in Berwyn, serving youth who are at risk of child abuse, neglect, and running away or who are in trouble at home, in school, or in the community; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka has tirelessly chaired and served over the years on many statewide boards and commissions, including the Illinois Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter State Set Aside Board, the Illinois Governor's Human Service Task force, the Governor's Keep Warm Illinois Energy Assistance Council, the United Way of America Council of States, the Development Committee for the Illinois Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and others; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka has trained over 300 police and fire personnel in mental health first aid as a certified mental health first aid trainer; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka has served as an adjunct professor in the Illinois Institute of Technology Graduate Program of Public Administration, specializing in ethics, nonprofit management, performance measurement, and resource development; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka has been an active member and leader of the Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of Illinois (ACMHAI), dutifully serving as its president from 2020 to 2022; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka brought his expertise and passion for helping others to the membership of ACMHAI as an ongoing contributor, strong advocate, and skilled spokesperson on behavioral health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Ron Melka demonstrated a keen awareness of the legislative process and consistently advanced the community-based behavioral health system in Illinois while serving chair of the ACMHAI Medicaid and Managed Care Committee from 2015 to 2020; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Ron Melka on his retirement, express our heartfelt gratitude for his exceptional service, leadership, and contributions to behavioral health, and wish him a joyful and fulfilling retirement, knowing his impact will be felt for years to come; and be it further

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