OGDENSBURG
–Over the past 33 years, United Helpers Chief Executive Officer Stephen E.
Knight has witnessed unprecedented growth at an organization that has been
serving the people of the North Country in some capacity since 1898.
“The
most rewarding thing about working for United Helpers was working for a
mission-driven organization. I hope the ten ladies who started the Society of
the United Helpers would approve and be proud of our work,” Mr. Knight said, as
he sat down to discuss his career with the company, which began in August of
1988, and will end later this month.
“What
I’ve experienced in my 30 plus years is the board has always been willing to
step up and support our community,” he said, before quoting a portion of the
United Helpers Mission Statement. “To serve the community and help those in
need.”
Mr. Knight then listed
many of the services United Helpers developed during his time with the company…
“pre-vocational day habilitation service, transitional, clinical, and housing
services for people with severe and persistent mental illness, IRAs (Individualized
Residential Alternatives), management of more than 500 units of subsidized
housing, outpatient rehabilitation services, a market rate retirement
community, the county’s only assisted living program, two outpatient behavioral
health clinics, care management and case management services, and certified
home care.”
“It was my privilege to
work for a very committed board of directors and with a group of committed,
caring professionals,” he said. “Together, we created a unique continuum of
post-acute care and community-based services that support more than 2,400
people in our county every day.”
Mr. Knight’s career with
United Helpers began when he was hired as an assistant administrator for what
was then known as United Helpers Care, Inc. Today that portion of the company
is known as United Helpers Behavioral Health and Life Skills.
“I had heard about the
job with United Helpers, because it was in the newspaper,” he said, noting at
that time he was living and working in the Boston area. “My mother would send
me job ads because she wanted me to move back home.”
Mr. Knight grew up in
Lisbon and graduated from St. Lawrence University. He then spent “three or
four” years in Massachusetts before moving back home.
After spending two
years as assistant administrator, Mr. Knight was promoted to administrator in
1990 by then CEO John Turongian.
“As the company continued
to grow, John made some changes to the leadership team, and I was promoted to
Director of Systems Development in 1996, so then I had responsibilities company
wide,” he said. In 2001 Mr. Knight was promoted to Director of Operations.
“From the moment I first met Steve in 1990, I was
impressed with his leadership skills and "can do" attitude. With each
promotion, it soon became apparent that Steve was destined to take on greater
responsibilities,” Mr. Turongian said. “The business of Health Care is very
challenging and ever-evolving, and Steve knew where we needed to go.”
In 2009, Mr. Turongian
would retire from United Helpers and Mr. Knight became the company’s third CEO.
“It was an honor and privilege
to work with him for nearly 20 years at United Helpers,” Mr. Turongian said. “My
best wishes to him and Lianne for a happy and successful retirement.”
While he may be ready
to retire, Mr. Knight said he will not stop advocating for the North Country
and the people United Helpers serves.
“Over the years, we’ve
continued to see an increase in the number of people relying on Medicaid or
Medicare. One of my biggest worries is that during this same time we’ve also
seen a waning of support at the state and federal level for these folks. It is
up to us to continue advocating for those in need. They’re our friends and
neighbors,” he said.
Mr. Knight said he’s
planning on taking the summer to work on projects around his home, while also
noting his oldest daughter is getting married this summer. He plans to do some traveling
and participate in a lot more of the outdoor activities that he enjoys doing
like biking, hiking, snow skiing and water-skiing.
He resides in Colton
with his wife, Lianne. The couple has three adult children, Hannah, Daniel, and
Sadie Rose. His last day with United Helpers will be Friday, May 28.
