Tammy was born and raised in the cornfields of Illinois. Growing up in small town USA gave her an appreciation for the simple things in life, including the relationships that you make with others. She knew early on that she wanted to work with special populations and in high school volunteered with special education kids, while working at the local nursing home.
Life changes brought her to Washington state in 1982. Since arriving in Washington, she has worked with the mental health population, as well as teens in crisis and the developmentally disabled. First working with adults with developmental disabilities in 1984, Tammy started as a direct service worker, while taking on other roles with disabled teens that included coordinating a summer recreation program and developing a job readiness program in the local school district. At the same time, Tammy worked with pre-school children with disabilities. Tammy has also developed successful grants for disabled training programs and capital funding projects. In 1990, Tammy became the Program Manager of an Intensive Tenant Support Program (now known as Supported Living) and later became a Special Projects Administrator, supporting DD adults and children, as well as teens with dual diagnosis. One of Tammy’s favorite roles was as a consultant for disabled adolescents with challenging behaviors; developing behavior support plans and staff training protocol. In 1993, Tammy became the Executive Director at a non-profit agency supporting DD adults. One of her greatest accomplishments there was seeing staff become motivated and empowered in their jobs. Her supervisory philosophy has long been “Happy Staff, Happy Clients”, and it soon translated into a well-run organization that was receiving positive recommendations from the State.
In 1994, Tammy received her BA in Human Services from Western Washington University. She got her Masters in Education (M Ed) a year later from Western Washington University’s Wooding College of Education managing a 3.89 GPA; all while raising her three young children and working full-time.
In late 2002, Tammy found herself looking for employment. She reluctantly responded to vague ad looking for an administrative assistant in a social service agency. The rest, as they say, is history… Tammy was hired in July 2003 as Camelot’s Associate Director (AD) and later held dual roles as the AD and the Administrator of the Supported Living Program. In February 2011, Tammy was appointed to the Executive Director role at Camelot. Tammy has a long history of working with the disabled population; which she feels has greatly impacted her life. She especially likes working with behavioral challenges. The Camelot Society has become like her home. The philosophy of respect to clients and providing opportunities that enhance quality of life are tenets that Tammy strongly believes in.
In her spare time, Tammy enjoys Muskie fishing, going to sporting events, antiquing and bargain shopping, as well as biking, and finding a new favorite restaurant. Tammy also enjoys writing and playing softball.
Contact Tammy at [email protected].