Bill Garr

Director

​William Garr, CHE has been a visionary leader and consultant combining strong financial skills with knowledgeable strategic program and leadership development for over 45 years. His background blends a unique mixture of health care, housing, disabilities, education, substance abuse, and mental health into an inclusive approach to leadership. He has served as the Executive Director of the Special Needs Educational Collaborative after several years as the Director of Special Education in the Marlborough and North Andover school systems, developing a full range of supportive services. 
 
With a desire to expand and integrate disability, mental health, and health care programs, he became the CEO of ARC of South Middlesex / Metrowest Mental Health, a subsidiary of MetroWest Medical Center. More recently, he served as Vice President for Behavioral Health at Dimock Community Health Center and completed a major turnaround as the President/Chief Executive Officer of Newton Community Service Center, an innovative child, youth, and family agency in the Newton and Waltham Area. He also served as an Executive Vice President of Future Management System, a national educational consulting firm focused on strategic planning and leadership development. 
 
Bill became a consultant as the President/CEO of two consulting practices – Community Solutions and Non-Profit Transitions – in addition to managing the consulting division of one of the largest regional accounting firms in New England (Feeley and Driscoll). He consulted with over 100 agencies in 14 states specializing in organizational and leadership development, transformative strategic planning, board development, and establishing innovative affiliations.
 
Bill has a BS in Speech Pathology from Emerson College, a master’s degree from Tufts University, and an Advanced Certificate in Training Adult Learners from Boston University. He is a Board-Certified Healthcare Executive with the American College of Healthcare Executives and a certified Special Education Administrator with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
 
He retired in July of 2023 after ten years as the Chief Executive Officer of Lowell House Addiction Treatment and Recovery (LHATR). LHATR is the premier substance abuse and mental health agency in Merrimack Valley serving over 3,000 individuals and families annually. 
 
Retirement for Bill is a very special period in his life, a time to spend more time with family and friends, extend his 35-year work with Rotary as the 25/26 President of Foxboro Rotary Club, and finally have a chance to teach part-time directly with teens on the Autism Spectrum at the Clearway School in Newton, MA. He is honored to serve as a board member for Bailey’s Team.