June 14, 2026 • 8 mins
Robert Stack - Founder, President and CEO of Community Options, Inc.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to today's episode of CEOs. You should know I'm Astra,
and today we're welcoming Robert Stack, founder, president and CEO
of Community Options, Inc. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
So we want to talk a little bit about your
background and your journey. Now. You began your career within
state systems before founding Community Options. What was the pivotal
moment that convinced you that change needed to happen outside
of government.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I know that working in government that it's very hard
to get things done, and that we were trying to
help people with severe disabilities live in small houses in
the community. And when I tried to turn to other
people to try to do that, it seemed very difficult,
and I thought the best way to do it would
be to quit working for the state, incorporate my own nonprofit,
and start my own way of doing it.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Very smart. I like that, And at just thirty one
years old, you launched Community Options from your home. Now,
what were early experiences that most shaped your leadership, philosophy
and resilience during that time?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
What was to not be well? You know, there's an
old saying if you worry, don't worry, and if you
don't worry. You should worry. And I worried a lot
because I didn't have any money. I didn't have any
way of making payroll, I didn't have any way of
dealing with anything. So I worked really hard to do
that and I was able to pull it together and
turn it into what it is today.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
That's incredible. Now you've been a pioneer community based housing
and employment models. What principles guided your approach to building
a scalable person centered program.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
It was working in the community and working with others,
And what I was able to do was say, if
it worked one place, you could work another. So I
started with three small houses in New Jersey and now
we have seven hundred and fifty houses throughout the country
in sixty cities throughout twelve states, and many here in Manhattan.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
That's remarkable. Congratulations. How do you actually foster innovation with
a large, multi state nonprofit while staying deeply mission driven
rather than operationally focused.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, I look at you, and I hire people like you.
I hire people that are smarter than me, younger than me,
and have more energy than me, and.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
That could do social media.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Exactly, which is another interesting thing I think to bring
up about government. You know, as I go from state
to state, I noticed that more state governor's offices have
more people in social media than social policy. And that's
a real interesting thing to look at.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I will say, social media is taking over and that's
the best way to reach out to people. Absolutely, you've
challenged long standing policies and clinical practices. So what are
some strategies that you found most effective in driving systemic
change in resistant environments.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
One of the things I've seen happen is parents are
afraid because they have a son or daughter with significant disabilities,
So what are they going to do? And they don't
understand that they have to start planning, And I tell them,
quite frankly, you have to realize one thing, your son
or daughter will outlive you by at least thirty five years,
and you have to plan for that.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Right now, That's actually very true. And now I want
to just transition over to your vision and your strategy.
Your work anticipated me milestones like the Americans with Disability
Act and the Olmsted versus LC. What do you see
as the next frontier for disability rights in the US.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I still think we haven't achieved what we need to
right now, and I think that with you look at
the Americans with Disabilities Act or any of these things
that still there's a lot of things going on that
aren't correct. For example, in the state New York, you
can pay people twenty five cents an hour if they
have a disability and they have absolutely that's legal and
it's allowed to happen. It's against it should be against
(03:29):
the law, but it's not. There's a lot of things
that are going on right now that need to be
changed in order for people to live a better life
and live more free and more independently.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Now, looking ahead, how do you plan to scale community
options impact while maintaining quality, dignity, and individualized support.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I hate to be so trite, but I want to
say I keep doing what I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I mean, you got to see what you got to say,
It's true. I like that. Now, reflecting back on your career,
what's been the most difficult barrier to advancing community based
care and how did you navigate that.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
You know, people, when you open up a small house
in a community, people are very afraid and they're very
nervous about what happens, and people are looked at as
an enemy. They're not an enemy. The real enemy is ignorance.
And what I try to do is educate the public
that people with disabilities are just like anybody else. They
love like anybody else, they're your friends like anybody else,
(04:21):
and if you treat them just like you want to
be treated, then you're going to have a great, great life.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Now let's talk about your book, Silent. No longer you
call out systemic failures. What gives you optimism that meaningful
reforms achievable?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Again, I refer to you, or refer to the younger generation,
that we have to pass the baton to you, and
that you are going to show the leadership and the
drive to change things that need to be done in
order for people's disabilities to live a better life, to
live freer, and to be able to achieve the kinds
of equity and diversity that they should have.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And speaking to the younger generation, what advice would you
give to emerging leaders or social entrepreneurs who want to challenge,
entrench systems and create lasting sol impacts.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Don't give up, don't give up no matter what, just
keep pushing, keep pushing. Don't be afraid because it's a challenge,
but I think you'll overcome that challenge and things will
get better.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And don't take no for an answer.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Right, absolutely, don't take no for an answer.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Now, having worked on the front lines of deinstitutionalization in
the nineteen eighties, how did those early challenges influence your
long term commitment to disability rights.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Well, it made me decide that I was going to
devote my life to this, and that's what I did.
I started when taking the first person I could out
of an institution, and now there are people that in
the institutions in New York. And now we've been trying
to close institutions throughout the country and we're trying to
get people disabilities to live in the community as much
as they can, and that's what's been going on. I'm
(05:43):
very excited about that.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Now, as employment remains central to independence, how should organizations
evolve to create meaningful workforce opportunities for people with disabilities
in today's economy.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You know, I realize now that there's a direct relationship
between the severity of your disability and your level of loneliness.
We all work, and we all work for money, but
we also work to feel good about what we do.
We feel, we want to feel appreciated, We want to
feel that we make a difference. And what I'm trying
to do with any person with any disability at all
(06:13):
is to help them learn that they can make a
difference and they can help things get better.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
I like that. Now, what's next for community Options inc
Any exciting developments or maybe some expansions on the horizon.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, the woman named Willo Bhaer, who's the Commissioner of
New York, seems to like us a lot. And we
like her, and we like Governor Hokel, and we like
Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania and uh and and we're working
and we're trying to educate a Governor Abbott in Texas,
and we're working very hard to try to develop more
programs for them because we believe that everyone with disabilities
(06:46):
can and should live in the community, and anyone who
wants to work should and can work.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
That's very true. And if there's one thing that you
want people to take away from your mission, what would
that be?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
That they that anyone who wants to be involved to
help people with this abilities do anything that they can.
And I ask every person they kind of think about
it for a second and say, how can I kind
of help that other person. How can I make a difference,
How can I do something a little bit out of
my comfort zone to make that person with disability feel
a little better.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
And lastly, is there a call to action that you'd
like to share, like how people can engage with support
or the work that you're doing.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yes, the answer is vote. The answer is vote. The
answer is pay attention. Ask questions of those people who
are running for whatever office it is, whether it's a
small community leader, whether it's a mayor, whether it's somebody
at its deputy mayor, ask them what their positions is
are and ask them how they want to work with
people with disabilities.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
And is there anything else you want to add?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
No that, I'm just delighted for Community Options. It's our
over our thirty seventh year. We have seven thousand employees
and we are always looking for more employees, and we're
looking for student interns all over the country. We're in
twelve states. Please look us up on our website and
be more happy to of you. It's come UPCOMLP dot org.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Well, thank you so much, Robert Stack, founder president and
CEO of Community Options for joining us here on CEOs
you should know.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Thank you
Welcome to today's episode of CEOs. You should know I'm Astra,
and today we're welcoming Robert Stack, founder, president and CEO
of Community Options, Inc. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
So we want to talk a little bit about your
background and your journey. Now. You began your career within
state systems before founding Community Options. What was the pivotal
moment that convinced you that change needed to happen outside
of government.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I know that working in government that it's very hard
to get things done, and that we were trying to
help people with severe disabilities live in small houses in
the community. And when I tried to turn to other
people to try to do that, it seemed very difficult,
and I thought the best way to do it would
be to quit working for the state, incorporate my own nonprofit,
and start my own way of doing it.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Very smart. I like that, And at just thirty one
years old, you launched Community Options from your home. Now,
what were early experiences that most shaped your leadership, philosophy
and resilience during that time?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
What was to not be well? You know, there's an
old saying if you worry, don't worry, and if you
don't worry. You should worry. And I worried a lot
because I didn't have any money. I didn't have any
way of making payroll, I didn't have any way of
dealing with anything. So I worked really hard to do
that and I was able to pull it together and
turn it into what it is today.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
That's incredible. Now you've been a pioneer community based housing
and employment models. What principles guided your approach to building
a scalable person centered program.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
It was working in the community and working with others,
And what I was able to do was say, if
it worked one place, you could work another. So I
started with three small houses in New Jersey and now
we have seven hundred and fifty houses throughout the country
in sixty cities throughout twelve states, and many here in Manhattan.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
That's remarkable. Congratulations. How do you actually foster innovation with
a large, multi state nonprofit while staying deeply mission driven
rather than operationally focused.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, I look at you, and I hire people like you.
I hire people that are smarter than me, younger than me,
and have more energy than me, and.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
That could do social media.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Exactly, which is another interesting thing I think to bring
up about government. You know, as I go from state
to state, I noticed that more state governor's offices have
more people in social media than social policy. And that's
a real interesting thing to look at.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I will say, social media is taking over and that's
the best way to reach out to people. Absolutely, you've
challenged long standing policies and clinical practices. So what are
some strategies that you found most effective in driving systemic
change in resistant environments.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
One of the things I've seen happen is parents are
afraid because they have a son or daughter with significant disabilities,
So what are they going to do? And they don't
understand that they have to start planning, And I tell them,
quite frankly, you have to realize one thing, your son
or daughter will outlive you by at least thirty five years,
and you have to plan for that.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Right now, That's actually very true. And now I want
to just transition over to your vision and your strategy.
Your work anticipated me milestones like the Americans with Disability
Act and the Olmsted versus LC. What do you see
as the next frontier for disability rights in the US.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I still think we haven't achieved what we need to
right now, and I think that with you look at
the Americans with Disabilities Act or any of these things
that still there's a lot of things going on that
aren't correct. For example, in the state New York, you
can pay people twenty five cents an hour if they
have a disability and they have absolutely that's legal and
it's allowed to happen. It's against it should be against
(03:29):
the law, but it's not. There's a lot of things
that are going on right now that need to be
changed in order for people to live a better life
and live more free and more independently.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Now, looking ahead, how do you plan to scale community
options impact while maintaining quality, dignity, and individualized support.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I hate to be so trite, but I want to
say I keep doing what I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
I mean, you got to see what you got to say,
It's true. I like that. Now, reflecting back on your career,
what's been the most difficult barrier to advancing community based
care and how did you navigate that.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
You know, people, when you open up a small house
in a community, people are very afraid and they're very
nervous about what happens, and people are looked at as
an enemy. They're not an enemy. The real enemy is ignorance.
And what I try to do is educate the public
that people with disabilities are just like anybody else. They
love like anybody else, they're your friends like anybody else,
(04:21):
and if you treat them just like you want to
be treated, then you're going to have a great, great life.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Now let's talk about your book, Silent. No longer you
call out systemic failures. What gives you optimism that meaningful
reforms achievable?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Again, I refer to you, or refer to the younger generation,
that we have to pass the baton to you, and
that you are going to show the leadership and the
drive to change things that need to be done in
order for people's disabilities to live a better life, to
live freer, and to be able to achieve the kinds
of equity and diversity that they should have.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
And speaking to the younger generation, what advice would you
give to emerging leaders or social entrepreneurs who want to challenge,
entrench systems and create lasting sol impacts.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Don't give up, don't give up no matter what, just
keep pushing, keep pushing. Don't be afraid because it's a challenge,
but I think you'll overcome that challenge and things will
get better.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And don't take no for an answer.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Right, absolutely, don't take no for an answer.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Now, having worked on the front lines of deinstitutionalization in
the nineteen eighties, how did those early challenges influence your
long term commitment to disability rights.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Well, it made me decide that I was going to
devote my life to this, and that's what I did.
I started when taking the first person I could out
of an institution, and now there are people that in
the institutions in New York. And now we've been trying
to close institutions throughout the country and we're trying to
get people disabilities to live in the community as much
as they can, and that's what's been going on. I'm
(05:43):
very excited about that.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Now, as employment remains central to independence, how should organizations
evolve to create meaningful workforce opportunities for people with disabilities
in today's economy.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You know, I realize now that there's a direct relationship
between the severity of your disability and your level of loneliness.
We all work, and we all work for money, but
we also work to feel good about what we do.
We feel, we want to feel appreciated, We want to
feel that we make a difference. And what I'm trying
to do with any person with any disability at all
(06:13):
is to help them learn that they can make a
difference and they can help things get better.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
I like that. Now, what's next for community Options inc
Any exciting developments or maybe some expansions on the horizon.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, the woman named Willo Bhaer, who's the Commissioner of
New York, seems to like us a lot. And we
like her, and we like Governor Hokel, and we like
Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania and uh and and we're working
and we're trying to educate a Governor Abbott in Texas,
and we're working very hard to try to develop more
programs for them because we believe that everyone with disabilities
(06:46):
can and should live in the community, and anyone who
wants to work should and can work.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
That's very true. And if there's one thing that you
want people to take away from your mission, what would
that be?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
That they that anyone who wants to be involved to
help people with this abilities do anything that they can.
And I ask every person they kind of think about
it for a second and say, how can I kind
of help that other person. How can I make a difference,
How can I do something a little bit out of
my comfort zone to make that person with disability feel
a little better.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
And lastly, is there a call to action that you'd
like to share, like how people can engage with support
or the work that you're doing.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yes, the answer is vote. The answer is vote. The
answer is pay attention. Ask questions of those people who
are running for whatever office it is, whether it's a
small community leader, whether it's a mayor, whether it's somebody
at its deputy mayor, ask them what their positions is
are and ask them how they want to work with
people with disabilities.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
And is there anything else you want to add?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
No that, I'm just delighted for Community Options. It's our
over our thirty seventh year. We have seven thousand employees
and we are always looking for more employees, and we're
looking for student interns all over the country. We're in
twelve states. Please look us up on our website and
be more happy to of you. It's come UPCOMLP dot org.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Well, thank you so much, Robert Stack, founder president and
CEO of Community Options for joining us here on CEOs
you should know.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Thank you
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