Lawrence Roffee Retires as the Board's Executive Director August 13, 2008; updated September 19, 2008

	Lawrence W. Roffee

Lawrence W. Roffee, the Board's executive director for two decades, retired from Federal service on August 29.  During his tenure, he oversaw considerable expansion of the Board's mission and services.  When he joined the Board in 1988, its work focused primarily on federally funded buildings.  With passage of the ADA in 1990 and other laws however, its mission grew to encompass access to much of the built environment nationwide, transportation vehicles, and telecommunication and information technologies.  Roffee implemented programming measures and reforms enabling the Board to meet its growing responsibilities writing new guidelines and standards in these areas and delivering guidance and training on them to a much wider audience.  He also spearheaded efforts to make the Board a leading resource on accessible design both nationally and abroad. 

“It has been a true honor to lead the Board during such an exciting and pivotal time in its history,” Roffee noted at a meeting of the Board in July.  “I am deeply grateful to the many exceptional and dedicated people at the Board and beyond I have had the privilege to work with over the years.  Looking back at what we have accomplished together is as rewarding as it is humbling.”  David Capozzi, Director of the Board's Office of Technical and Information Services, will serve as acting executive director until a successor is named.