The Andover Commission on Disability (ACOD) has named Julee Armitage and Stephen Surette as its new co-chairs, ushering in a new chapter of leadership following the retirement of longtime chair Justin Coppola.
Both Armitage and Surette are lifelong area residents with deep ties to the community and a shared commitment to improving accessibility and inclusion in Andover.
Armitage, a health care professional and advocate, attended North Andover High School and earned a degree in health studies from Georgetown University. She went on to become a physician’s assistant after completing graduate studies at Yale. Her personal connection to disability advocacy began after her youngest daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease. That experience led her to establish the Rare Road Foundation, which has raised $25,000 toward making a local playground more accessible — a project bolstered by a grant from the Massachusetts Office on Disability.
Surette is a graduate of Andover public schools and has worked for the Town of Andover since 1993. Starting as a custodian at West Elementary, he later served in Town Hall and the Parks Department before becoming the town’s Highway Superintendent.
Both leaders say they plan to guide the Commission with a collaborative approach. “It’s a team effort,” Armitage said. Surette added that he wants to draw on the strengths of ACOD’s members. “People can bring different things to the table. I’m very excited and can’t wait to get started.”
Their appointment comes as ACOD marks a leadership transition after more than two decades under Coppola’s guidance. Coppola joined the commission in 1999 and served as chair from 2002 to 2010 and again in recent years. During his tenure, ACOD helped the town secure $4 million in state grants for projects aimed at improving accessibility in public spaces and municipal buildings.
Town Manager Andrew Flanagan praised Coppola’s contributions at a June retirement celebration, noting that he “helped transform awareness [of the Americans with Disabilities Act] into action in Andover.”
Coppola, a retired engineering manager and parent of a son with spina bifida, said his own advocacy work began when he and his wife joined the Spina Bifida Association in the 1980s. “When I joined [ACOD], there was little awareness of ADA and its requirements,” he said. “The focus was to develop an organization to implement ADA.”
Under Coppola’s leadership, ACOD helped institutionalize ADA compliance into the town’s planning and construction processes. New municipal buildings, schools, playgrounds and recreation areas all now go through an ADA compliance review. Accessibility components have also been integrated into various master plans, including the town’s Comprehensive Plan and Shawsheen River Master Plan.
Established in 1995, ACOD continues to serve as a resource for residents with disabilities and a watchdog for ADA compliance across town facilities.
More information about the Andover Commission on Disability is available at https://acod.mhl.org.