Associate Executive Director
Cheryelle oversees 17 programs that provide support to people with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and individuals and their families living with HIV/AIDS. All program directors report directly to her office. “These programs provide residential and comprehensive support services to meet the physical, social and emotional well being of individuals in our care.”
Cheryelle Marie Cruickshank came to Unique People Services in 2008. She oversees 17 programs that provide support to people with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and individuals and their families living with HIV/AIDS. Her lifelong experience and leadership expertise--qualities she attributes to early exposure working with people who have special needs--have ultimately sculpted her career path.
As part of her leadership role, she participates in proposal writing, liaising with the Board of Directors and partnering with the Executive Director to enhance the service delivery of the agency. She represents UPS as a member of the HIV/AIDS Network, the Association for Community Living, Bronx Developmental Disabilities Council, The New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies, the Inter Agency Council, and is a board member of the New York Association of Emerging Multicultural Agencies. She participates in local government planning for the Bronx and frequently meets with legislators to provide input on the effects of proposed budget changes.
Prior to joining Unique People Services, Cheryelle spent 20 years at Services for the Underserved where she attained the position of Director of Developmental Disabilities Services; she was responsible for the supervision of 30 programs and 250 employees.
Cheryelle earned her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Sociology at SUNY/Albany. She completed a certificate program at the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University’s Institute for Not-For-Profit Management for Middle Managers in Community Development Organizations and Leadership Development Program through America’s Leaders of Change. Currently Cheryelle is pursuing her master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership. Cheryelle is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She is recognized in Who’s Who of Female Professionals and Who’s Who of Professional Management.