Willie Jones appointed Director of Health, Safety, and Wellness for Ohio Association of County Boards

The Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (OACB) has named Willie Jones as the organization's Director of Health, Safety, and Wellness effective January 13, 2021.

Jones joined the OACB team in 2010 and co-founded the Good Life Network program, through which he has provided dozens of county boards with a blueprint for better service through the improvement of workplace culture. His trainings have introduced hundreds of Good Life graduates to the principles of trauma-informed care and abuse recognition and prevention.

A passionate safety advocate, Jones has also played a leading role in identifying and developing opportunities for county boards to improve communications and coordination with local emergency services personnel. He has facilitated in-person communications trainings for police officers and led OACB's outreach efforts among stakeholders in the criminal justice system.

In this newly created role, Jones will use his past experience as a direct support professional, provider agency leader, county board operations director, and behavioral support specialist to pursue the following OACB objectives:

• Develop additional training and technical assistance initiatives focusing on abuse awareness and prevention;
• Identify opportunities for OACB to further the personal development and overall well-being of county board professionals in the workplace;
  
• Facilitate connections between the county board of DD system and local first responders to improve communication and better serve people with developmental disabilities who interact with law enforcement.
  

"I look forward to creating new opportunities for county boards to connect with local first responders and focusing on the well being of support professionals in our system," Jones said. "Especially during the pandemic, our county boards have been there for the people we serve, and I'm looking forward to doing my part to care for the care coordinators."

Jones' appointment, announced as part of a larger staff restructuring at the association, is the first of many steps designed to prepare the organization for staff transitions in the not-too-distant future. Several of OACB’s most experienced staff members have recently announced their intention to retire after decades of service within Ohio’s county board of DD system, prompting a renewed focus on succession planning within the organization’s leadership team.

For more information about OACB’s recent staff reorganization, please click here. To contact Willie Jones, send an email to wjones@oacbdd.org.