New ILS director Jackie Fliss filling big shoes

By Fred Petrucelli

Jackie Fliss appeared to be a visitor in the offices of Independent Living Services, sitting in an easy chair and talking amiably.

But looks can be deceiving. In fact, she is the new of director of ILS, not a clone of former director Peggy Schneider by any means but simply a replacement for the agency's icon who is leaving after a 30-year tenure.

She is looking forward to assuming control, feeling comfortable in new surroundings that are similar to those she left at the Friendship Community Care agency in Russellville.

On the job only for a few years, she is learning the ropes and being shepherded by the author of the program through the intricacies of running a place in the business of helping people with developmental disabilities. Mrs. Fliss asserts she will continue this effort, bringing skills to people so they may live as independently as possible within the community.

The search for Mrs. Schneider's successor was arduous. "Our search drew dozens of applicants from all over the country, and there was a wealth of experience and skill to choose from," says Nancy Williams, president of the ILS board of directors. "But when we narrowed the field, we were pleased to find the most qualified candidate right here in our back yard.

It was a long process, she continued. "But it was well worth it because I'm confident that Jackie Fliss will continue the tradition of caring that Peggy Schneider has established." Mrs. Williams was head of the transition committee of the board.

Among the many expressions of support included one from Cecil Marion, president of the United Way of Faulkner County and CEO of Conway Mills.

"I've known Jackie Fliss since I moved to Conway three years ago. In that time I have found her to be a caring and energetic individual who has the ability to get things done. She is going to do a great job leading Independent Living Services."

You can't define Mrs. Fliss by calling her a social worker when in fact she is a certified public accountant. "You may call me a CPA with a heart," she laughed.

Yet she is a 23-year veteran in the field of social work, attending to the needs of people with developmental disabilities. At the Russellville facility she was employed as controller and director of children's services. In past years, she operated her own accounting firm and was financial manager of Counseling Associates Inc. and Easter Seals of Arkansas in Little Rock.

While she will attempt to emulate her predecessor at the start, she recognizes that change is inevitable. She hopes that will be accommodated by a trained staff of people who are dedicated and respectful of each other and their clients.

"I'm not demanding," she says of her style. "You don't have to be with a hard-working, responsible group of employees."

She points out that the agency will continue to operate along established lines, but perhaps funding mechanisms may change, depending on the will of the board and parents of clients. But she envisions no wholesale changes.

The agency will retain its status as a private, nonprofit entity that helps adults with disabilities to live a productive life as independently as possible. It serves more than 100 Faulkner County residents and operates with a budget of more than $2 million.

Mrs. Fliss makes the point that she is her own person, one who is trained and competent in the arena of working with the developmentally disabled. Her style may differ from Peggy Schneider's, but her commitment and skills may be equivalent.

Mrs. Fliss and her husband, Larry, an official with a waste company, have two sons, Jax and Carter, and have lived in Conway since 1993. She had been commuting to her Russellville job.

Away from her occupation, Mrs. Fliss performs as a Cub Scout leader and overseer for her sons' athletic endeavors and the family's menagerie, which includes three chinchillas, an Australian "bearded dragon" (a kind of lizard), a dog, two cats, an aquarium and another that houses an eel.

"Every one of the creatures has a name except the eel."

Mrs. Fliss hails from Huntsville and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a degree in business administration.

Independent Living Services was opened 30 years ago in a group home setting for eight men. It has blossomed into an agency that has become an intermediate care facility with around-the-clock medical staffing, three group homes and an apartment complex. ILS also provides support to the disabled people who live in their own apartments or homes in the community.

(Staff writer Fred Petrucelli can be reached by phone at 505-1256.)