Adam Hoffman experienced New Directions for the first time at Christmas in the year 2000. As a new arrival in California, he was recruited by Susie Williams to be a tour guide for Holiday Happiness in San Francisco. Since then he’s never looked back. In addition to marrying Susie, he has watched his two amazing children grow up as part of the Holiday Happiness family. After 15 years as a freelance graphic designer, Adam orchestrated a career pivot and now works for the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, where he gives free food to people who say they need it. Adam has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Joan Rosselle is the retired Director of Distinguished Giving for the American Cancer Society, where she established major giving task forces in Monterey and Santa Clara Counties. Her main efforts with ACS involved recruiting major donors, bringing them an awareness of and a willingness to give to cancer research. Prior to that, she was Director of Major Giving at El Camino Hospital Foundation in Mountain View. Joan coordinated the capital campaign for a new hospital building, established a thriving women’s philanthropy circle and directed the major giving program.  Joan earned a BA at Bethany College in Bethany, W.VA, a Certificate in Marketing at the University of California, Berkeley and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction at Mercy Center in Burlingame. Currently, Joan volunteers with her church. She is a golfer and sings with a chorus in her community. Joan's daughter, Carey loves traveling with New Directions.

Dee Duncan founded New Directions for People with Disabilities in 1985 and served as its Executive Director for 40 years, dedicating her career to creating opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to explore the world, build friendships, and lead fuller, more independent lives. Before founding New Directions, Dee worked at the Devereux Foundation in Santa Barbara. Her lifelong commitment to people with disabilities and her community has earned her numerous honors, including the Santa Barbara Mayor’s Nonprofit of the Year Award, Women’s Economic Ventures Trailblazer of the Year, and Goleta’s Finest Human Services Professional of the Year. She has also received recognition from Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton for her work promoting international relationships and educational exchange. A Santa Barbara resident since 1974, Dee graduated with honors in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara and remains an active member of the community. Her vision, compassion, and determination have helped make New Directions a leader in supported travel for people with disabilities.

Susie Williams creates educational toys for babies and preschoolers for LeapFrog. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA (Go Bruins) and a Masters in special education from NYU. She spent a few decades teaching and consulting before packing it all up for an itinerant existence, leading trips for Backroads and New Directions for four years, where she met the love of her life, Adam Hoffman. In her 30’s she finally settled down, married Adam, and created 2 kids, adding three capable and compassionate helpers to the list for her annual San Francisco Holiday Happiness trip, which she created and led for 22 years. She’s always kept one foot in education, working to infuse curriculum in all her LeapFrog toys as well as volunteering in the classrooms of each of her children. Susie’s passions are travel, yoga, creating and looking at art, and singing. She’s an alto in the choir at Calvary Presbyterian Church, where she’s also a deacon. She has been inspired by and dedicated to the mission of New Directions since the moment she led her first trip, back in 1997.

My son David is a long-time traveler with New Directions. I graduated from Davis with a BS in Environmental Toxicology and an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, while my children David and Christina enjoyed living on and near campus for years. I spent my career at OSIsoft, an industrial software company in San Leandro, founded by my father. I left in 2018 after many years to pursue my own interests. Primarily I was interested in supporting my son David's independence.  

Our family went to a Transition Fair fifteen years ago to see what opportunities were available for David after high school and we checked out the New Directions Travel booth. David’s little sister Christina, who was about 13 at the time, really liked the idea of sending David on vacation just to get him out of the house. Fifteen years later we are all happy to see David taking trips with New Directions and coming home to share his adventures.  

My board experience is both for profit and nonprofit. I was on the board at OSIsoft, and was the board secretary for Estudillo Holdings, the family company that owned OSIsoft. I did many years on the San Leandro Chamber board as well as the East Bay Economic Development Group, and some time on the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Board. I served on the board for The Phillips Academy, a nonpublic school. I have been on the board of Special Olympics of Northern California for about 5 years, and have been a parent supporter of the local Special Olympics for many years.