Trillium Employment Services

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 About Us > Staff and Bios

Staff and Bios

Trillium Employment Services has been providing supported employment services to people with disabilities since 1983.

Trillium staff are our most important resource. We make an investment in their personal and professional development. This was noted by CARF with an exemplary conformance in Human Resources. “The organization has developed an extensive orientation program for new staff members that spans the first year of their employment. The program ensures that new staff members understand the expectations of the organization and its commitment to excellence, quality and personal and professional growth.”

Employment consultants are formally trained in systematic instruction, job development, positive behavior support, first aid and CPR. In addition, several staff have completed the Highline Community College Employment Professional Certification Program.

Here are the staff of Trillium:

Trish Borden has been the Executive Director of Trillium since 1987. She has a master's degree in Special Education and extensive experience in working with adults with disabilities. Trish's experience with job development has included corporate development of opportunities at Boeing and Medtronic. She has also been active with development of public sector job opportunities, which included leadership to create state legislation to make it easier for people with developmental disabilities to become state employees. Trish is also very involved in the community having served for 12 years on the Auburn City Council and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Auburn.

Jump to: King County | Pierce County | Clark County

King County

Janice Nelson has been a Community/Employment Consultant with Trillium since 1995. She helps people with disabilities find and retain employment in Auburn. In addition, she focuses on helping Auburn become a more inclusive community. Janice is active in many community organizations and events. Her involvement in Auburn includes the Auburn School Board. Janice has been successful with her own unique style of job development, which starts with getting to know as many people as possible in her community.

Aimee Nelson has been an Employment Consultant at Trillium since 1998. Aimee has experience in other states working in both employment and residential services for people with developmental disabilities. Aimee has a degree in Psychology and a minor in Human & Family Development. Aimee specializes in precision training.

Sarah Holcombe has worked in the field of human services for several years. Prior to serving as an employment consultant at Trillium, she worked for Self-Determination Resources, Inc. as a personal agent, providing support services for adults with developmental disabilities. Volunteering is important to Sarah – she has donated her time to Special Olympics for twelve years with the Eagles and Cascade Ridge Racer teams. She graduated from Cornell College with a B.A. in philosophy. Sarah is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

Graduating from the University of Washington with a B.A. in law, societies, and justice, as well as political science, Jesse Torgerson’s education prepared him well for his position as an employment consultant with Trillium. His passion and understanding of the need for social justice and community building are beneficial to his job performance. Jesse comes from a family with long careers and extensive experience working with individuals with disabilities which drives his compassion for inclusive communities. Jesse is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

Jade Garrison brings strong credentials to her position as an employment consultant at Trillium. Jade is a graduate of Humboldt State University where she earned a degree in recreation administration. She has experience in developing summer camps for youth as well as working at before-and-after school recreation programs. Jade also worked for several residential programs for individuals with developmental disabilities before coming to Trillium. Jade is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

Katie graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Social Service and a minor in Family Studies.  Katie became interested in the supported employment field after learning about a positive experience her family’s business has had with a supported employee. Katie joined Trillium in August of 2008. She shows enthusiasm and commitment to her work at Trillium. Katie is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

 

Kyley Wegner

Employment Consultant

Ph: 206-349-1448

Kyley is a graduate of Arizona State University where he studied journalism and mass/human communication. Kyley comes from a family tradition of working with people with disabilities: his mother works in job development for a local supported employment agency, and his younger sister is involved with the Special Olympics. Kyley returned to the Seattle area after college  with a strong desire to work with individuals with developmental disabilities.

 

Pierce County

Jenna Ziegler

Senior Employment Consultant/Program Specialist

Ph: 253-232-3520

Jenna has worked in the Social Services field since graduating from Central Washington University with a BA in Social Services, a BS in Sociology & a minor in Psychology. Working as a Social Service Director for 5 years provided Jenna with the opportunity to work with people and their families. Jenna joined Trillium in 2008, and brings enthusiasm and a commitment to help people with disabilities be involved in our community. Jenna is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

 

 

Since high school, Haley has been interested in learning about human motivation and social justice. With her work in the social services sector spanning many years, Haley continues to learn and improve on her ability to best support each individual in achieving their goals. Haley moved to Washington in 2003 after completing a B.A in Social Work from the University of WI-Whitewater. She earned her M. Ed. from City University of Seattle in 2008 and was an AmeriCorps volunteer with Tacoma Community College. Haley started as an Employment Consultant with Trillium in 2008. Haley is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

 

Marlene Andrews

Employment Consultant

Ph: 253-227-4021

Marlene has been involved in the human service field since 2001 when she began tutoring and coordinating for Children’s Literacy Center.  While completing her internship working with veterans with mental illness, Marlene discovered her passion for working with adults who have traditionally been excluded from society.  After witnessing the impact employment had on someone with severe depression, she realized she wanted to go into the employment field.  After graduating with her social work degree, Marlene came to work for Trillium Employment Services in June of 2008 and has a passion for helping the people she advocates for become a part of their communities. Marlene is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional.

 

 

Jason M. Van Loh’s road to Trillium started in Bloomington, Indiana, where he was hired as a para-educator for the Monroe County Schools Transition program.  He continued this work with Tacoma School District until he realized that being a Trillium employment consultant was his next career destination. He has a B.A. in history from Oregon State University and M.F.A. in creative writing. Jason is a published author of “flash fiction,” loves the Seahawks, and enjoys walking with his wife and dog.

Heidi is a Washington State Certified Employment Professional. With a back ground in sales and marketing, Heidi has the ability to relate to the business community. She has used this knowledge to achieve successful results when advocating for people with disabilities to obtain competitive employment. Heidi has a sibling with a developmental disability which has contributed to her lifelong commitment for an inclusive community. Heidi worked as a job developer in Kitsap County before joining Trillium in April 2010. Heidi has a true passion and takes pride in helping people achieve their employment goals.

Clark County

Wendy has been an activist for the civil rights of people who have disabilities for over 28 years in areas such as; employment, person centered planning, self determination, quality improvement and systems change. Wendy has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Organizational Communication. She has been the Program Manager in Clark County since February, 2008.

Olga has a passion for working to provide employment for people with developmental disabilities that comes from both personal and professional experience. She has advocated for services for a family member and worked in special education for a local school district. Olga is also bilingual and bicultural and is excited to see people with disabilities from various cultures succeed in today’s employment world. Olga is a graduate of Washington State University with a BA in Human Development.

Emily has had the good fortune to be affiliated with people with disabilities through out her life, and brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to her work at Trillium Employment Services. Emily values and is an advocate for people with disabilities, and has a sparkling personality. For the past 3 years, Emily has partnered with the North West Down syndrome Association, to help plan and organize the children’s events at the annual buddy walk. Emily graduated from Portland State University with a BS in English and Women Studies.

Ashley was drawn to working at Trillium through her passion of networking and helping connect people to one another. After a year of studying American Sign Language Ashley has had the privilege of working with various individuals with auditory disabilities and in return developed a deep appreciation for the Deaf Community. Ashley also independently co-developed Eco-Fashion Camp where helping campers realize their visions and develop new proficiencies has fine-tuned her ability to communicate clearly, and directly with patience and a positive attitude. Through these pursuits along with her university focus in Women’s Studies Ashley understands the value of connecting disenfranchised groups of people to employment opportunities. In 2006 Ashley graduated with a BS in Arts & Letters from Portland State University.

 

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