Celebrate Life: Rod Copeland

Description

From Gary De Carolis:

Five words that describe Rod: Compassionate, optimistic, lucky, accepting, futuristic

Copeland was born in Garnett, Kansas, a small town of 3,000 people. He was the youngest of 3 children. His brother was three years older and his sister 10 years older. Copeland's parents were devoted Southern Baptists, so he was raised in that vein. He experienced a very normal childhood and adolescense, doing well in school, having many friends, and participating in sports and school activities. He went one year to a small Baptist College in Kansas before joining the Peace Corps to serve as a volunteer in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. His Peace Corps experience dramatically changed his life. After the Peace Corps, Copeland attended a State Teacher’s College in Kansas. While there, he met his wife to be Glenna. They met working as paraprofessionals in a school for children with significant developmental disabilities. They both received degrees in special education, and Copeland went on to get a Masters Degree in School Psychology. Shortly after they were married they moved to Kansas City where the couple lived and worked in predominantly black neighborhoods. While there, Copeland entered graduate school and received his PhD in Developmental Psychology. During that period he ran research and training grants in the inner city.

Copeland left the University of Kansas for a position as an associate professor of psychology at Southwest Missouri State University. A year and a half later he was fortunate to get a position with the State of Vermont as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. Later he took a job with the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, holding various leadership positions culminating with a five year stint as the Commissioner of the Department of Developmental and Mental Health Services. Prior to his retirement in 2007 Copeland served as the Director of the HIV Aides program in the Vermont Department of Health.

For the past enjoyable 16 years of retirement Glenna and Rod have enjoyed traveling and now spend their winters in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and their Summers in Vermont.

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