SCDD staff completes Executive Leadership training

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PORTSMOUTH– Three staff members from the Scioto County Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) were invited to participate in the Executive Development Program offered by the Ohio Association of County Boards (OACB). The staff members were Catie Metzler, early-childhood team leader; Theresa Rowland, outreach coordinator; and Brittany Mitchell, SSA team lead.

The program is offered every two years to county board employees throughout the state of Ohio who have been identified by their local boards and who have shown interest and initiative in the workplace and who display leadership skills. Selected employees are invited to participate in a 10-month leadership training.

“We identify what we consider high-potential employees who we see as potential leaders and an asset to this organization. To date, we’ve been really proud of the people we’ve sent up. A lot of them are here still,” said Matt Purcell, SCDD Superintendent – who also participated in the Executive Leadership Program in 2012.

He said it is an investment for the county board that has paid for itself many times over by developing better leaders and building a stronger staff to serve the community.

“To be asked to participate is just a vote of confidence from the county board. I was blown away by the amount of information that I was able to get from these days,” Rowland said. “We heard from lots of guest speakers from Ohio libraries and Ohio State. We visited the Capitol and the Statehouse. It was a very well-rounded addition to my knowledge base of county boards.”

Mitchell said it made her feel appreciated when she was selected to participate in the program.

“It made me feel pretty good about myself that they wanted to send me to a year-long training that dealt specifically with leadership. It helped me solidify my work as part of this organization and it also helped me know that I definitely have a future in the developmental disabilities world. I absolutely love this field and I can’t imagine not working in it,” she said.

Metzler also appreciated meeting others from county boards throughout Ohio and learning more about what other DD programs offer to kids beyond her own department. She was part of a team that completed a capstone project which won a trophy for Most Creative solution to an issue facing the field of developmental disabilities.

“There was a lot of education about exactly what county boards do, and that was helpful because I’m in early childhood and my whole world revolves around kids aged 0-6 and I know a lot about what happens to these kids, but what happens when they turn 6 and move on to more older-childhood and adult roles,” she said. “I don’t have as much knowledge about what those DD services look like. So this was a nice way to get a glimpse at the other departments and how the whole system works together.”

For more information about the programs and services at the Scioto County Developmental Disabilities, call 740-353-0636 or visit online at www.sciotodd.org, and like and follow them on Facebook.

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