Valley Educational Associates Promotes Jessica Gorman
HATFIELD, MA (May 25, 2018) Valley Educational Associates recently promoted Jessica Gorman to Job Developer. Gorman formerly served as one of Valley Educational Associates’ Job Coaches. In her new role, Gorman will assist our Vocational Program Coordinator, Anthony Frogameni, to develop interactive vocational group lessons to prepare the individuals for specific work environments. This position focuses on maintaining current business partnerships, developing new work and training opportunities for our individuals.
Jessica Gorman stated, “I find it incredibly rewarding to be able to work with our individuals one on one to find opportunities for their personal strengths to shine, and to find creative ways for them to learn new skills. I am so fortunate to be able to work with such an incredible group of people with unique and varied talents. Every day is like having the opportunity to fill a blank canvas with the most beautiful and interesting array of colors.”
Gorman holds a Bachelor’s degree University of Massachusetts Amherst in Psychology. She has spent over six years helping people with mental health and developmental disabilities achieve their goals in different facilities in Western Massachusetts, Boston, Connecticut and Arizona. She plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Education.
“I am so pleased with the contributions Jessica has made to her program site. She is very skilled at matching participant’s abilities with tasks and activities. I believe she will excel in this new role as she cultivates new work opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities in Western MA,” says Kate DaSilva, Executive Director of Valley Educational Associates. “We make a concerted effort to promote successful staff from within to encourage leadership and professional growth.”