The Resource Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Terri Johnson as the director of rehabilitation and employment services.

As part of her job responsibilities, Johnson oversees The Resource Center’s Employment and Work Centers in Jamestown and Dunkirk. She also oversees TRC’s prevocational services and is working to transform that area to allow many of those services to be provided in the community. Another aspect of her job includes the Supported Employment Program, in which TRC assists individuals with significant disabilities in finding employment in the community, then provides ongoing supports to help people maintain those jobs. She also oversees TRC’s job-placement program and helps people with disabilities re-enter the workforce with minimal supports.

Employment Services also is responsible for vocational evaluations, in which individuals are assessed to see what employment programs and options they would be best suited for and what kind of supports they need. The same is done in the driver training program, in which individuals with disabilities are provided with driving instruction to help them obtain their license. In addition, TRC evaluates existing drivers to determine if they can maintain their driver’s license.

Johnson said one of her department’s newer initiatives is business enterprise, in which The Resource Center is developing businesses to provide additional employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities.

“For example, TRC’s landscaping venture,” she said. “It started as an internal business that has grown and is now being offered within the greater community as well.”

Another initiative Johnson will be focusing on is The Resource Center’s effort to implement a program that will provide pre-employment training for individuals with disabilities to better prepare them for obtaining a job.

“I have a strong and vested interest in wanting to help others obtain and maintain competitive employment, as well as provide them with the available employment options,” she said.

Before her appointment, Johnson had been the administrative director of New Vision Services, Inc. Prior to that, she worked in The Resource Center’s Employment Services Department.

“It is very exciting to come back to the department where I spent the first 10 years of my career,” she said. “It’s the department I started in, and I truly believe in our mission. “

TRC’s administration is pleased with Ms. Johnson’s ascension to director of rehabilitation and employment services.

“We welcome Terri to the executive management team at The Resource Center,” said Heather Brown, assistant executive director for program operations. “Her years of experience, creativity and overall dedication to the individuals supported by TRC will be an asset to this organization and to the community.”

After graduating from Randolph Central School, Johnson obtained a bachelor degree in human communication, with a specialization in public relations, from the State University of New York College at Fredonia.

In her spare time, Johnson enjoys going to movies, traveling, volunteering and spending time with her husband, Brad, and sons Logan, 6, and Jonah, 1. She is a co-organizer of the annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign in Chautauqua County and is active in fund-raising efforts for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.