Brianne Patek – Customer Service Manager
Shortly after graduating from the University of Toledo, I began working as a Job Placement Specialist, assisting people with disabilities in obtaining employment. I immediately knew it was special position and I had an opportunity not everyone gets, and that is to help others change their lives. For four years I worked with employers, educating them on the disability in the workplace, how to train individuals and the benefits of hiring someone with a disability.
I joined the center as a Vocational Rehabilitation Coordinator working with transition youth to provide vocational counseling and other needed services to enable them to achieve competitive employment. I began working as the Customer Service Manager in October 2011. I get to come to work every day, talk to people with unique stories and educate them on all of the resources available to them.
I am an avid runner and spend much of my spare in training for ½ marathons and other competitions. The remainder of my time I spend enjoying my large family.
Chris Daunhauer – Receptionist/Equipment Loan
Helping people has always been a driving force in my life. I have continually done whatever I can to lend an extra hand or be supportive to others. Being behind the scenes, making things happen has always been extremely gratifying for me. My past experiences have built upon one another and now, I believe, I find myself at my Mount Everest.
In so many ways, the Ability Center is such a perfect match for me. I wanted a position that utilized all of my past work experience along with my passion to help people. I was born and raised in Toledo and married and raised a family in West Toledo. I am proud to be working at a center that is homegrown. There are many diamonds in Toledo and I believe that ACT is one, still being polished.
My role at The Ability Center is being the first voice or face to greet consumers in need of support. While continuing to learn exactly what we can do for folks, I am expanding my knowledge, completing my degree in Business Administration. Each day is a learning experience for me in many ways, and it is my hope that I can make a difference to someone each and every day.
Angie Hiser - Information and Outreach Coordinator
Angie owned and operated Angie’s Angels, a home health care agency. For several years, she thoroughly enjoyed working closely with people with disabilities. It was her only connection to disability until 1998, when she contracted pancreatitis during a pregnancy. She lapsed into a coma for 14 days.
When Angie woke she found she had a new baby daughter and had lost her vision. Over the next year, Angie had to relearn how to do everything. It’s now been eleven years and her life has come full circle. As an Information and Outreach Coordinator at the center, she assists many people on a daily basis. Angie loves to educate people with disabilities about the services available at the Center and in the community.
Barb Manning – Information Systems Coordinator
I was born in Valdosta, Georgia, a city named for Governor George Troup’s plantation home, Val d’Aosta. Valdosta is a small town full of historic southern charm. In college, I was one of those students with wide-ranging interests. I studied anthropology, psychology, history, and English. I have an extensive liberal arts education that includes graduate studies in Middle Eastern history.
I have a fundamental belief that everyone deserves equal access to the tools and resources of everyday living. Race, ethnicity, sexual preference, or disability cannot be allowed to prevent people from living their lives to the best of their abilities.
As the Information Systems Coordinator, I help others to work on their stories. I use social media and the web to tell the story of living with a disability. I appreciate how life throws new stuff at us every day. If I can help someone get what they need to meet the challenge of the day, I am happy.
