SAN ANTONIO – Dr. Brent Fields, with more than 30 years of senior management experience with large non-profit organizations to his credit, has been named president/chief executive officer of Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative, the umbrella organization that coordinates planning, fundraising and communications for the Morgan’s Wonderland “family” of Ultra-Accessible™, fully-inclusive endeavors designed with individuals with special needs in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment.
In addition to world-renowned Morgan’s Wonderland theme park, non-profit Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative includes award-winning Morgan’s Inspiration Island splash park, Morgan’s Wonderland Sports complex, new Morgan’s Wonderland Camp and projects in progress such as the Multi-Assistance Center at Morgan’s Wonderland, or The MAC, scheduled to open in 2022. The CEOs of these entities and other senior managers within Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative will report directly to Fields.
“With a proven leader like Dr. Fields, we can continue the tremendous growth we’ve experienced over the past decade and pursue even more ventures that benefit those with and without special needs on a statewide, national and international level,” said Gordon Hartman, founder of Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative. “He will blend his exemplary expertise and experience with our terrific team to achieve our mission of inclusion.”
Before being selected to lead Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative, Dr. Fields served as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas in Austin. There he headed a staff of 30 and hundreds of volunteers in serving approximately 1,000 families in the region. He previously held high-level positions such as a vice president at the national headquarters of the American Heart Association in Dallas and as an administrator for Shannon Health Systems, involved in the operation of two hospitals in San Angelo and rural clinics throughout West Texas.
Dr. Fields earned his bachelor’s degree from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., his master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He also achieved certification in non-profit studies at the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin.
In 2017, Dr. Fields won Best CEO and Best Places to Work awards from the Austin Business Journal, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America named Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas as a National Agency of the Year finalist and a National Gold Standard in Quality Services winner.
His volunteerism includes two years as chairman of the board of trustees of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. His 13-year-old daughter, Chloe, has a mitochondrial disorder (Leigh’s Disease) and lives with multiple disabilities. Fields’ wife, Suzette, is a licensed audiologist and experienced clinician/manager, and they have two other children – Micah, a writer and professor at a community college in Helena, Mont., and Mason, a junior in high school.
Dr. Fields succeeds Ron Morander, who joined Morgan’s Wonderland as general manager in 2011 and played key roles in multiple major projects including an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition broadcast nationally on ABC-TV and the Morgan’s Inspiration Island and Morgan’s Wonderland Sports expansions. He also spearheaded efforts to expand attendance at Morgan’s Wonderland and broaden the park’s scope through programs such as CBI (community-based instruction), Memory Matters (dementia care) and STRAPS (South Texas Regional Adaptive and Para Sports). In addition, he pursued important partnerships with organizations such as Project Angel Fares, Make-A-Wish and Special Olympics Texas.
“My wife, Sandy, and I relocated to San Antonio in 2011 for Sandy’s job,” Morander said, “and we will remain in San Antonio for her work with the YMCA. I will now have the opportunity to enjoy more traveling and improving my golf game while exploring what comes next, including how to support others in the work of building a more-inclusive world for all.”
Hartman said Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative owes Morander “our profound appreciation and admiration for helping Morgan’s Wonderland grow and add other members to our ‘family’ of the world’s greatest Ultra-Accessible™, fully-inclusive recreational places.”
Inspired by Morgan, their daughter with special needs, Hartman and wife Maggie have devoted their energies to helping the special-needs community and many others through ventures such as Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative. To learn more, visit www.InclusionStartsHere.com.
For more information about Morgan’s Wonderland, go to www.MorgansWonderland.com, or call (210) 495-5888. The 25-acre park featuring more than 25 wheelchair-accessible attractions is located at 5223 David Edwards Drive, a half-mile west of IH 35 at the intersection of Wurzbach Parkway and Thousand Oaks Drive.
Ultra-Accessible™ refers to removing both physical and economic barriers that confront children and adults with special needs. This means that those with and without special needs can come together in a fully-inclusive environment for fun and a better understanding of one another.
