TERRE HAUTE —
Mel Burks has long aspired to become Hamilton Center’s chief executive officer, and Wednesday, his dream became reality.
During a short meeting attended by Burks’ family and many supporters, the Hamilton Center board voted to make him the new CEO.
“I’m elated that the board felt I can lead the corporation,” Burks said after the meeting. “I feel so good right now.”
But he also said he was focused on “getting back to work.”
During the meeting, the small board room was full, with standing room only. Board member Ryan Oilar made the motion to name Burks as CEO, seconded by Booker Thomas. A majority — but not all board members — raised their hands in support.
Board President Dick Pittelkow said he counted 11 board members in favor out of 16 attending.
Then, board member Michael Hagemeyer made a motion asking for a unanimous show of support for the board’s decision, the search process and Burks; the board indicated that unanimous support through voice acclimation.
Pittelkow said, “We’ve been through an interesting process and I’m glad to see we’ve finally come together.”
Burks’ title will remain acting CEO until an employment contract is signed.
After the meeting, Burks’ many supporters lined up to shake his hand or share a hug.
Burks, employed by Hamilton Center for 32 years, has been serving as interim CEO since September. He has held a number of positions, most recently as executive director of administrative services since 2004.
He began at Hamilton Center in 1979 as an evening receptionist and rose through the ranks, holding a number of positions that included director of safety and security; director of staff development and training and director of human resources.
Burks became interim CEO Sept. 22 with the illness, and subsequent death, of former CEO Galen Goode, who served in that role for 22 years.
During an interview after Wednesday’s meeting, Burks said, “I appreciate and respect everything the board has done.” He also said he appreciated staff members and community members who have shown their support.
“I could hardly go anywhere in the community without someone saying, Mel, we are praying for you. Mel we support you,” he said.
For many years he has aspired to be Hamilton Center CEO, he said, and made a list of things he needed to do to reach that goal. He talked to CEOs of other community mental health centers, corporations and businesses for advice on how to prepare for such a role — through both education and experience, he said.
He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana State University. In 1983, he received a master of science in agency counseling and criminology and in 1997, he received a master’s in public administration, according to his resume.
His immediate goals are to “sit down with the board and establish a vision to move the corporation forward,” he said.
He also will meet with Hamilton Center staff leadership to talk about expectations “and how we move forward.”
Right now, “I really want to just savor the moment,” he said. Among those present were his wife, two daughters, and four grandchildren, including identical twin granddaughters born just last month.
Burks has four children and six grandchildren.
“These are my heart,” he said of his family.
Among the challenges ahead for Hamilton Center are the potential for continuing government funding cuts as well as health care reform.
Again, Burks said he will meet with the board and staff “and come up with a plan on how we move forward … we need to work together and come up with a plan that will keep Hamilton Center solvent so we can continue to provide good customer service to our consumers.”
The search for a new CEO has been a controversial one, and the search committee had recommended someone other than Burks. It’s also caused some division and conflict among staff.
One of his first priorities will be to try and bring people together, he said.
In dealing with any conflict that may exist, Burks said, “I’m going to do like I always do in building relationships in this corporation, in the community and across the state. I’m going to do it the old fashioned way. I’m going to go face-to-face with people and talk to them. I’m going to talk about some of the things we need to do together and establish a partnership.
“I think sometimes people misunderstand you because they don’t really know you. That’s why I believe in the old fashioned way. You have to sit down and talk to individuals and you have to look them in the eye and let them know your expectations. You have to talk to them and say, what is your concern, what is your issue, and see if we can resolve them, if any resolving needs to take place.
“I feel confident that if every employee believes in the vision and mission of this corporation, we can always find a way to work together and move forward,” Burks said.
After the meeting, Pittelkow said that in the end, the board “coalesced and reached consensus that Mel would be the best choice,” based on his 32 years with Hamilton Center and his experience in the community.
Pittelkow also described some of the challenges ahead for Hamilton Center, which include the risk of government funding reductions.
“The concerns are that we keep our head above water and continue to service the clients we are serving and maintain our funding,” Pittelkow said. Hamilton Center may need to “get a little more creative in how we can get some additional funding, whether through grants, new clinical programs” or other means.
There will be change, Pittelkow said. “We just can’t keep the same business model as we had before,” Pittelkow said.
He noted that Hamilton Center is at risk of an additional $750,000 in government funding cuts.
Burks has long been active in the community and has served on the Vigo County School Board since 1996. He also has been active with agencies and groups that serve young people.
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