MEC
Instructor Biographies
Gayla has been employed with AMHC since 1 May 1991,
starting as a Job Coach, Employment Specialist, then became the
Vocational Services Manager. Prior to working for AMHC she worked
for 9.5 years as a Job Training Counselor and Job Corps
Recruiter/Placement Specialist with the Training & Development
Corporation under their Migrant & Seasonal Farmworkers grant and Job
Corps program. Gayla has been assisting individuals from various
socioeconomic groups with their employment goals for approximately
27 years. The valuable role of employment in an individual’s life is
something she has always understood and worked to support
individuals to attain. She serves on the following Boards:
Governor’s Commission on Disability & Employment, BRIDGES Transition
Council, and Caribou Regional Technology Center Advisory Council.
Gayla is a founding member and incorporator of the Maine Chapter of
APSE-The Employment Network. She currently serves as Maine’s Chapter
President. She is certified as: Maine Employment Curriculum Trainer,
Employment Specialist and Supported Employment Program Manager, as
well as a New England Supported Employment Mentor.
Gayla is Native American, and a member of the
Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. She has served as their Election
Supervisor and is in her second term as a Housing Commissioner. She
served in the United States Air Force as an Aircraft Fuel Systems
Mechanic and was stationed at Loring AFB in the 42nd FMS. In her
leisure time she enjoys sports (softball & basketball) and reading
about a wide variety of topics.
Jennifer is Operations
Manager at Maine Medical Center's Department of Vocational Services.
She has worked in the field of supported employment since 1996.
After obtaining her Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling
from Boston University, she worked at Center House in Boston, first
as a clubhouse worker and later as an Education/Employment
Specialist and Job Developer. She earned a certificate in Job
Development from the Institute for Community Inclusion and U.Mass/Boston.
Recognizing the importance of housing assistance for people with
disabilities, she then worked for three years in the field of public
housing, managing the Family Self-Sufficiency program and a HUD
Welfare-to-Work housing voucher program for Metropolitan Boston
Housing Partnership. Jennifer returned to Maine in 2002, working as
an Employment Specialist at MMC. Since joining MMC, she has been
trained in Benefits Planning by Cornell University and is an
approved trainer of the Maine Employment Curriculum. Jennifer has
been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor since 1998.
Contact information:
Department of Vocational Services
Maine Medical Center
22 Bramhall Street
Portland ME 04102
P 207/662-4895
F 207/662-4064
e-mail:
kimblj@mmc.org
Rachel is the Assistant Program Director at Phoenix
Employment & Rehabilitation Services in Bangor, Maine. Rachel began
working at Phoenix Employment as a part-time job coach in March
2000, where she later became an Employment Specialist and then
Supported Employment Program Coordinator before moving into her
current position. Rachel has a lifetime of experience working with
and advocating for individuals with disabilities, starting with a
close family member during her childhood years. During and after
college, Rachel worked for residential and respite service providers
in Massachusetts. After returning to Maine to pursue her Master’s
Degree, Rachel returned to the field of rehabilitation and began to
focus on the importance of developing quality vocational services
for individuals with disabilities. Rachel has been a certified MEC
Trainer since October 2003.
Contact information:
Phoenix Employment & Rehabilitation Services
230 Bomarc Road
Bangor ME 04401
P 207/941-2895
F 207/941-2894
e-mail:
rmathieson@amicusgroup.org
