Page 33 - BusinessWest March 17, 2021
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Putting Experience to Work
Viability’s New CEO is Mission-driven, Focused on the Big Picture
By George O’Brien
Colleen Holmes calls it a ‘full-circle moment.’
That’s how she chose to describe her
decision to assume the role of president and CEO of Viability, the Springfield-based nonprofit with a broad mission that boils to providing services — and creating opportunities — for those with disabilities. Those opportunities come in a num- ber of forms, and we’ll get to that shortly.
But first, that ‘full circle’ reference. Holmes used it to note that she spent a full decade at one of the legacy agencies, in this case Human Resources Unlimited (HRU), that became Viabil- ity in 2107 (Community Enterprises was the other) before moving on to a new role leading as president and CEO of the 18 Degrees agency.
So she’s back where she was. Well, sort of, but not really. Viability is a much bigger agency than HRU was — it boasts $36 million in annual rev-
COVID stunted the progress being made by some members who were forced inside and into a form of isolation that is not part of this agency’s MO.
“What worries me is that some of these people are losing ground that they worked so hard to gain — people who were work- ing, people who were gaining life skills, people who were gaining in their levels of independence, people who were ready for their next step in employment,” she noted. “There are a number of folks who have lost ground.”
Overall, however, many members, and the agency as a whole, have been able to carry on and move forward through this pandemic, she went on, adding that many members work in essential positions, and they take pride in being essential.
For this issue and its focus on employ- ment, BusinessWest talked at length with Holmes about her new assignment, but especially about how the pandemic has only magnified the need for the various services this agency provides, and how Viability has gone about responding to this changed landscape.
Work in Progress
Holmes said she certainly wasn’t looking for
a new challenge when Don Kozera, the long- time CEO of HRU, her former boss (she served the agency as special projects coordinator), and, most recently, the interim president and CEO
of Viability following the unexpected passing of Dick Venn (who stepped into that role after hav- ing the same titles at Community Enterprises), asked to talk with her about possibly becoming a candidate for this role.
Suffice it to say he did a good sales job, although it wasn’t necessarily a quick or easy sell.
“He said he thought I would be a good fit for this position and asked if I might consider it,”
 “Coronavirus has in no way taken away from the need for the services we provide. And in many ways, it has made it even more important to provide those services; that has been job one for me, and for all of us here.”
enues, 420 employees, and 37 sites in four states — and so much has changed in the interim, much it before COVID-19. And the pandemic has simply added another layer — or several layers, when you get right down to it — of challenge and intrigue.
“Coronavirus has
in no way taken away from the need for the services we provide,” Holmes explained. “And in many ways, it has made it even more important to provide those services; that has been job one for me, and for all of us here.”
Colleen Holmes says client employment, inclusion, and empowerment have been challenged by the pandemic.
           In that respect, much hasn’t changed, and she has, indeed, come full circle, especially when it comes to agency’s mission, which boils down to enriching the lives of the people served by the agency and continuously reinforcing the belief that every individual, no matter their ability, can be a valuable contributor to the community — and the workforce.
It carries out this mission through a number of programs and services, including:
• Clubhouses, which provide members with a supportive environment to increase their voca- tional, educational, and social skills;
• Partnering with more than 600 employers to provide members with a variety of supported employment opportunities;
• Community living programs that provide that provide care management, direct care, and referral services to individuals with disabilities, enabling them to live in the community with dignity;
• Day supports and various recreational pro- grams that provide individuals with a broad range of community activities; and
• Transitional services that provide members with upfront job-readiness skills, placement
assistance, and ongoing supports.
The common denominator in each of these
areas, said Holmes, is dedicated staff that not only make the programs happen, but make the individual goal set by and for each member attainable.
“This work doesn’t happen without our staff — and I don’t mean that simply from the stand- point of hands being on deck,” she said. “A lot
of the way in which progress is made with indi- viduals is through trusted relationships that are built that give people a safe space to try things, to grow, to progress, to fail and come back and try again another day. Those trusted relationships are pivotal, and our staff’s ability to offer that is everything.”
“What worries me is that some of these people are losing ground
that they worked so hard to gain — people who were working, people who were gaining life skills, people who were gaining in their levels of independence, people who were ready for their next step in employment. There are a number of folks who have lost ground.”
     But COVID has certainly impacted many of these initiatives, said Holmes, adding that the agency has collectively overcome a number
of challenges to keep employment, inclusion, access, and empowerment for people with dis- abilities in the forefront, despite the pandemic. Moving forward, lessons learned from the pan- demic will be applied to the future of these pro- grams and services and how they are provided.
And there will be some important ground to be made up, she said, adding that, in some cases,
Holmes recalled. “And I said, ‘I don’t know ... I’ll go talk to people; I’m always happy to do that.’”
She did talk to people, and came away intrigued by the possibilities.
“What I saw in this was an opportunity to sort of test my skills and challenge myself in a larger organization; this one is probably two and half times the size of the organization I was leading,” she explained. “Also, and this is probably most compelling, coming to Viability was an opportu- nity to advance work that matters to me in a dif-
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