Dawn, Clinical Learning Specialist

What is your average day like at The Jewish Board?

I don’t really think I have an average day, to be honest! I usually spend the first hour checking and responding to emails and organizing tasks for the different projects I work on. I can be in meetings with programs about conference proposals, training Risk Management, or digging through spreadsheets to prepare for meetings. Sometimes, I’m at a training space administering courses for our suicide intervention workshops or educating our new employees on Person-Centered Care during their orientation.

What is your favorite part about the work you do?

The Learning Department bridges the administrative work of The Jewish Board and what I call the agency’s “person work.” Helping staff build connections between work and the world outside of work is so important to me. In our Person-Centered Strategies training, we do a whole piece on language and how to shift what we write and say about our clients in a more strengths-based way. I like to talk about how this is reflected in the greater world, especially on social media, and how we all have to unlearn what’s been ingrained in us for a long time.

Why do you think the value “Treat Every Person With Dignity” is so important?

I say this often: we live in the same world as our clients, and some of us share similar histories. It’s important for us to understand that we are all connected by the human experience. I believe seeing the human first, in all their intricacies, is the key to doing quality work with clients. We live in a world where people are dehumanized regularly – and it’s normalized. We have the opportunity, and dare I say the obligation, to change that for the people we work with, and for ourselves.

What song or album do you listen to when you need a burst of energy?

Beyonce’s Renaissance Album, cover to cover. I like to run, and it keeps me on a schedule – it’s my time to shed the day away!