Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities has new interim superintendent

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- The Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities has a new interim superintendent.

Kellie Brown was named as the interim superintendent at the start of the year. Brown will serve in the role for the next six months as the board searches for a permanent superintendent. Today, Brown stopped by the County Commissioners chamber to introduce herself and give them information on the board.

“I came to meet with the commissioners because I have a philosophy that I need to make sure that our community knows exactly what Muskingum Starlight does for their community. We have a whole lot of services that maybe a lot of people don’t know about. The commissioners appointed 5 of our board members and they need to be on the forefront of all of the services that we provide and all of the activities that we provide to individuals and their families.”

Brown talked to the commissioners about the educational programs the board offers the as well as ways to help connect the community to the school. Brown wants to educate the community on how they can get involved and help out.

“You can call the Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities and you can ask for Missy and she can give you all the information on becoming a FANS. So we have a whole large FANS network. We have a whole lot of people that say ‘you know, I’m not so much about, like, providing services but I might be able to do something’. So we might have an individual moving into their own apartment and they might need a dresser or they might need a lawnmower. And someone’s like ‘hey, I’ve got a lawnmower that I can donate’. So we link those things up.”

The board offers several programs including early intervention services. That program is for birth through 3 years of age. Then there are pre-school and school age programs; as well as programs to help students with developmental disabilities after graduation. Brown said they also work to help these individuals find employment. She said they want careers just like everyone else.

“It was an ‘ah-ha’ moment for me. I had an individual at a community forum and we were talking and we were talking a whole lot about employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. And she was talking about her employment path. And she was working at a healthy foods store and she loved working at this healthy foods store. And it was getting her on a path to her career. And when she said career I was like, ‘you know, don’t we all want a career?’ And it was one of the first times I had ever heard an individual with developmental disabilities say, ‘I want a career’.”

Brown plans on meeting with the commissioners frequently to keep them updated on the board and its work.