Chief Research and Innovations Officer, The Arc of the United States

Job held by: Ann Cameron Caldwell

Why the job was created: To help spread the best ideas for aiding people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the 730 chapters of The Arc of the United States, a national group with headquarters in Washington.

Duties: In addition to conducting research throughout the Arc’s network on innovations in serving people with disabilities and spreading the word about the best ideas, Ms. Caldwell will seek philanthropic and government support for putting those ideas to work, says Peter V. Berns, chief executive officer of the Arc. “Resources are going to flow to those organizations that really can demonstrate that they are having an impact,” he says. “So we really view this as an investment in the future of the organization.”

Previous jobs: Ms. Caldwell, 44, was previously assistant vice president for grant development at Easter Seals, She has also worked as a consultant to nonprofit clients, helping them with strategic development and program evaluation.

Education: She holds a doctorate in disability studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Connection to the cause: Ms. Caldwell is the mother of a teenager with Down syndrome.