MSDE’s Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) recently welcomed Tom Liniak as the Director of Community-Based & Workforce Services
Tom Liniak is an accomplished attorney, businessman, disability program innovator, and parent of a child with autism. Originally from Connecticut, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Mathematics and Economics from Boston University and a Juris Doctor degree from the American University Washington College of Law.
He is the co-founder of the nonprofit Sports Plus, whose instructional sports and social programs for those with autism and other disabilities have been studied by the University of Colorado and served over 4,000 participants.
Tom is an innovator in the field of disability employment. When he was the Director of Employment Services at the Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA), the agency was named Maryland Disability Employment Provider of the Year and its work was featured in WJLA-TV7 stories and by the Society for Human Resource Management. He was the leader of JSSA’s disability employment programs that resulted in 775 job placements with a retention rate of 86%.
Tom currently serves on the State of Maryland Employment First Committee, to advise and recommend changes to Maryland’s statewide employment policies for persons with disabilities. He also served multiple terms on the Montgomery County Commission on People with Disabilities, to advise the County Executive and the County Council on the coordination and development of policies for people with disabilities and on the needs and concerns of the County's residents who have disabilities.
Tom is passionate about using his experience and knowledge to empower people with disabilities to realize their potential by obtaining and retaining employment leading to self-sufficiency and belonging in the community.
