Milestones was established in 2009 by Adonna Bass Wickliffe, who founded the organization in her basement. Drawing from her passion as a parent of a child with special needs and her background in healthcare strategy and business development, she launched Home Care for Kids. Initially, the company served a small number of families, providing respite services directly through Adonna and a college student. Within two years, Home Care for Kids obtained certification from the Department for Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to offer services under the Medicaid Michelle P. and Supports for Community Living Waivers, focusing exclusively on children.

In 2016, recognizing a broader need for quality services and supports for adults to remain in their homes and communities, Adonna expanded the organization's scope. The company rebranded as Milestones Services in 2017, named after Adonna’s son, Myles, who has special needs. That same year, Milestones began offering residential and day training services in addition to in-home supports.

  Adonna Bass Wickliffe: Championing Dignity, Innovation, and Equity in Healthcare

The Journey of a Transformative Healthcare Executive, Entrepreneur, and Advocate

The story of Adonna Bass Wickliffe is both deeply personal and widely influential—a testament to how conviction, compassion, and strategic leadership can create meaningful change in the world of healthcare and beyond. Based in Kentucky, Adonna’s work as a healthcare executive, entrepreneur, advocate, and mother has rippled across communities, organizations, and the lives of individuals and families, particularly those navigating challenges related to developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Adonna’s journey as an advocate and leader was shaped by personal experience. As a parent, she encountered firsthand the systemic challenges, gaps in support, and barriers to equity faced by individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families. Rather than accepting the status quo, Adonna transformed her empathy and frustration into a driving force for innovation and advocacy.

She understood intimately that the needs of individuals with disabilities are not monolithic, and that families—like her own—deserved more than fragmented, impersonal care. This perspective fueled her vision: to build comprehensive, person-centered supports that honor the dignity, hopes, and potential of every individual.

With this mission in her heart, Adonna founded Milestones Services and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Milestones Services is now recognized as a leading provider supporting individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in Kentucky. Under Adonna’s stewardship, the organization has become synonymous with dignity, opportunity, and holistic care.

Milestones Services is not merely a provider—it’s a platform for empowerment. The services offered are tailored, innovative, and expansive, ranging from residential support and day training to community integration and employment guidance. Adonna has ensured that the organization’s philosophy is rooted in honoring individual voices, fostering independence, and building genuine relationships with the people served.

More than hundreds of individuals and families have found a trusted partner in Milestones Services. The organization’s success stories are as diverse as the people it supports: a young adult gaining their first job, a family navigating new diagnoses with hope, a community learning to include and celebrate all its members. Adonna’s hands-on approach—balancing executive leadership with direct engagement—has shaped a culture where staff and clients alike feel valued and heard.

Adonna’s influence extends well beyond the walls of Milestones Services. As a strategic consultant, she helps organizations and leaders across the healthcare sector refine their vision, implement best practices, and drive meaningful reforms. Her insights—grounded in both executive experience and lived reality—have guided programs, organizational turnarounds, and policy shifts. She is known for her ability to synthesize complex challenges and facilitate solution-oriented dialogue among diverse stakeholders.

Her leadership further manifests in her service on several boards, most notably the Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Shoulder to Shoulder Foundation. In these roles, Adonna has championed systemic change, promoted community education, and advocated for increased funding and legislative action to support vulnerable populations. Her board work is characterized by strategic vision, collaborative spirit, and an unwavering commitment to equity.

As the Chair of the Board of the Council on Developmental Disabilities, Adonna has worked to advance the rights, opportunities, and quality of life of people across Kentucky and the broader region. Through advocacy, program development, and public policy initiatives, the Council creates pathways for self-determination and inclusion—principles that align deeply with Adonna’s worldview.

With the Shoulder to Shoulder Foundation, Adonna’s focus has included bridging health disparities and strengthening access to care for underserved families. Her advocacy is holistic: embracing medical, social, emotional, and educational supports for individuals with complex needs. The Foundation’s work—like all of Adonna’s efforts—aims to ensure that no one is left behind, and that every person can pursue a life of dignity and fulfillment.

In the often-traditional world of healthcare, Adonna stands out as an influential, forward-thinking voice for innovation. She is a frequent speaker at conferences, workshops, and forums, sharing knowledge and challenging organizations to reimagine what is possible. Her advocacy centers on key themes: person-centered care, equity in access to services, and the power of collaboration across sectors.

Adonna is especially vocal about the urgent need for innovation in funding, service delivery, and workforce development. She champions the use of technology to expand access, the importance of cultural competence, and strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse and passionate workforce. Her thought leadership has inspired policy makers, providers, and families to think boldly and act compassionately.

Perhaps Adonna’s most profound legacy lies in the hundreds of lives improved through her work. Her approach is rooted in the belief that every individual, regardless of ability, should have the opportunity to direct their own life, participate fully in community, and pursue their goals.

Through Milestones Services and her broader advocacy, Adonna has helped individuals secure stable housing, meaningful employment, and educational opportunities once thought unattainable. She has equipped families with knowledge and resources to navigate complex systems, and has built bridges between service providers, schools, and employers. Her efforts have resulted in more inclusive communities, where people with disabilities are celebrated not just as recipients of care, but as contributors and leaders.

Adonna’s work has garnered recognition from peers, organizations, and those she serves. Yet, she remains relentlessly focused on the future: amplifying the voices of those too often marginalized, identifying and dismantling barriers, and mentoring the next generation of advocates and leaders.

Her advocacy continues to evolve in response to changing needs and emerging challenges, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing debates about healthcare equity and funding. Adonna is a trusted resource for legislators, a collaborator with educators and local agencies, and an ally to families seeking support.

At the core of Adonna’s leadership is a personal philosophy shaped by lived experience—that real change is built on empathy, tenacity, and community. She is candid about the challenges faced by families affected by disability, and equally passionate about celebrating their joys, strengths, and achievements. Her work is a testament to what can be accomplished when leaders listen deeply, act courageously, and never lose sight of the people they serve.

As healthcare continues to evolve, the need for visionary, empathetic, and inclusive leadership has never been greater. Adonna Bass Wickliffe embodies these qualities. Through Milestones Services, her board and consulting leadership, and her steadfast advocacy, she is helping to build a future where dignity and opportunity are not privileges for a few, but the birthright of all.

Her legacy is still unfolding—written in the lives she touches, the organizations she strengthens, and the communities she helps transform. For those in Kentucky and beyond, Adonna Bass Wickliffe is more than an executive or advocate—she is a changemaker, a bridge builder, and a beacon of hope for what healthcare, and society, can and should be.

 Milestones provides support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including but not limited to children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and individuals with physical disabilities, to allow them to live in their homes and communities. Our clients include unique individuals with conditions associated with aging and/or diagnoses of autism, cerebral palsy, Asperger's, developmental delays, and other physical, emotional, and neurological challenges. We focus on providing services that meet the individualized needs of our clients; therefore, we do not try to steer clients toward the activities we want them to engage in. Instead, we focus on the individual needs and goals of each client, providing them with opportunities to make friends and engage in a variety of home and community settings. To achieve this, we offer the following complement of services:

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• Community Living Supports (CLS)
• Community Access
• Personal Care/Personal Assistance
• Respite Care
• Supported Employment
• School Break Camps
• Residential Services
• Non-emergency Medical Transportation