Mission Ambassadors

Shining a Spotlight on Those Who Exemplify Our Mission.

Nominate a team member

Current Mission Ambassadors

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Marla Macatangay

Developmental Specialist 2

Nominated Value: Collaboration

Marla regularly collaborates with community partners to help families find resources they are in need of. Recently, she was able to work with other community partners to meet the need of a family who was having food insecurities. The partners came together with multiple resources for the family to help them through this time until the issue with their food card is resolved.

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Libby Roley

Individual Support Coordinator

Nominated Value: Fiscal Responsibility

Libby embraces the importance of fiscal responsibility, consistently looking for ways to reduce costs and increase shared services while promoting independence and empowering those on her caseload.

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Shelly Holt

Individual Support Coordinator

Nominated Value: Fiscal Responsibility

Shelly embraces the importance of fiscal responsibility, consistently looking for ways to reduce costs and increase shared services while promoting independence and empowering those on her caseload.

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Sarah Quinn

Individual Support Coordinator

Nominated Value: Fiscal Responsibility

Sarah embraces the importance of fiscal responsibility! This often means having difficult team conversations while ensuring services are appropriate and aligning with the person-centered planning process to create meaningful outcomes. (Reducing unused cost or recognizing when services are not being billed as authorized)

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Stephanie Merckle-Hunt

Employee Relations Specialist

Nominated Value: Empowering Others

Not only is Stephanie learning a new role within the organization, but she is also training me to replace her in her previous role. That is a lot to handle, and she’s doing a great job. Our training together has gone well because she explains things clearly and provides the overall picture to help me understand each task. She is patient with my many questions and is encouraging when I’m stuck on a difficult concept. She has made me feel at home from day one, and I’m so appreciative of her welcoming attitude and desire for me to succeed!
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Mitsi Niceswanger

Art and Clay/Square 7 General Manager

Nominated Value: Collaboration

Art and Clay/Square 7 Coffee House neighbors the Fairfield County Municipal Court.  Recently, staff from Probation came into the studio seeking assistance after the court unexpectedly took temporary custody of an 8-year-old boy with autism. The court team members were expected to engage and support him for nearly six hours without appropriate resources or activities. They immediately thought of Art & Clay on Main. Mitsi immediately provided one of our newly created “Busy Buckets,” designed specifically to support children who need accessible, engaging activities. After approximately four hours, the officer returned the bucket with only a few supplies remaining and shared that it “worked like a charm.” The probation staff expressed tremendous gratitude and appreciation for our ability to provide an inclusive, calming, and engaging solution during an incredibly difficult situation for the child. Not only did this demonstrate mission, but how our ongoing community partnerships can make an immediate and meaningful impact in unexpected ways.
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Todd McCullough

Director of Operations

Nominated Value: Collaboration

We had a situation regarding an individual in our SSA lobby. Once Todd was available, he came over to the lobby to help make some calls to resolve the situation due to his connections within the community. I appreciate the help he lent and the information he obtained in an effort to get the situation to have as positive an outcome as we could!

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Chelsie Hardy

Services and Supports Supervisor

Nominated Value: Collaboration

We had a situation with an individual in the lobby of the SSA building. Chelsie had a prior rapport with the person and came out to assist. She stayed in the mix attempting to help and get the situation resolved as much as she could until we were able to come to a resolution. It was MUCH appreciated!

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Olivia Kincaid

Individual Support Coordinator

Nominated Value: Innovation

I would like to nominate Olivia for her outstanding demonstration of innovation in her work. She consistently looks for thoughtful, creative ways to support individuals and ensure their voices are heard, rather than relying on routine or traditional approaches. One example of this is how Olivia always comes prepared for meetings and remains flexible and responsive. She is ready to step in or stop by whenever needed, ensuring continuity of support and demonstrating her commitment to both the team and the individuals we serve. A second example is her use of Charting the LifeCourse materials during an OISP annual meeting. Olivia introduced these tools in a way that allowed the individual and her family to express difficult emotions related to past trauma without needing to use specific language that might have been overwhelming. This creative approach opened the door to an important and previously challenging conversation. Olivia handled the situation with care, thoughtfulness, and professionalism, ultimately helping the team better understand and support the individual’s needs. Through her preparation, creativity, and person-centered thinking, Olivia embodies innovation and continuously improves the way we support others.
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Pam Whiteley

Community Builder and Training Specialist

Nominated Values: Innovation and Empowering Others

Pam has been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I started as a new ISC. She regularly checks in and genuinely cares about new staff well-being, which has made a big difference as I learn the role.

Her training on trauma, Charting the Life Course, and her coffee shop discussions have been especially meaningful. While there is a lot to learn through required modules, I most value the space she creates for conversation that deepens understanding of individuals’ experiences and strengthens my ability to connect with those I will support. I am impressed by her knowledge and the way she brings the human side of the work into learning.

Pam has also partnered with SOCIL to help develop a Peer Coaching Network that connects people with lived experience of disability to others seeking a fully included life. Through this initiative, trained peer coaches will support participants in building self-advocacy skills and working toward the lives they envision.

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