Staff

Sandy’s hometown is in Ohio, and she has explored different places to live since she moved away in 1999 to attend graduate school at West Virgnia University.  After living in the Southern Rockies of Taos, New Mexico, Sandy made her way to the Oregon coast and loves it so much she does not plan to leave.  She is an established cat lady, live music lover, gardener, tide pool explorer, and tent camper.

Sandy has worked in a residential program in Ohio for adults on the autism spectrum where residents participated in horticulture therapy, equine therapy, and lots of hiking!  Most recently, Sandy was a mental health therapist at Coos Health and Wellness and she looks forward to continuing to serve her community at this agency.

Sarah grew up in Southern Oregon for 33 years, before moving to the Oregon Coast 6 years ago. Caregiving, and CNA work in various settings is what she did for over 20 years. Due to changes in family dynamics, Sarah went back to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in behavioral health science with an emphasis on child, and adolescent disorders. Sarah’s passion is to help individuals in ways that center around their own person-centered needs.

In Sarah’s free time, she enjoys cooking and baking with her son, taking daily walks, and volunteering at her church ministry programs. Sarah also likes to research DIY home improvement projects and assist her husband with projects around the house.  Animals are also a love of Sarah’s, and she enjoys cuddling with her two cats and one dog.

Shantell was born in Roseburg, but spent most of her childhood in Arizona while her father served in the Marine Corps.

In 2014 she graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelors in Human Development and Family Sciences.  After graduating, she began working with the county’s mental health program before transitioning to ID/DD services in 2016.

Shantell lives in Canyonville with her husband, young daughter, and their fur babies.

In her spare time she enjoys crafting, reading horror books, spending time with her family, going to the movies, and attending concerts.

Shelly lives in Roseburg where she enjoys life in the great outdoors.

With a passion for travel, you will find her adventuring to a new global destination or volunteering her time in local emergency preparedness efforts.

As a natural networker, Shelly is passionate about making and growing connections as part of a small community, at a state level and worldwide through her travels.

Shelly loves to meet friends old and new over coffee and continue to build lasting relationships.

Staci has lived in Douglas County since 2006. She has spent the past twenty+ years serving in various social services positions.

Staci has two amazing adult daughters and two incredible granddaughters. She has four fur grandsons and two fur babies of her own.

In her free time, you will find her surrounded by family & friends. She enjoys hiking to hidden waterfalls and exploring the beautiful outdoors, reading suspense novels and baking treats for loved ones. She also loves to spend time volunteering in the community for various animal rescues.

Residing in Roseburg since 1998, Tawny’s biggest passion is people and investing in others.  She loves seeing people live their lives to the fullest. Married to her college sweetheart for over 30 years now, she has discovered that life has been a big adventure and just keeps getting better with age.

Tawny loves to sing, read, and hang out with friends. She loves yellow and cats, and especially yellow cats.  She has worked at Connections since 2010 & enjoys serving everyone who comes into the office.

Tera has lived in Oregon most of her life, raised in Brookings and raising her own family in the Portland area.

Tera is a nerd at heart and loves to learn new things.

She enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, and rafting.

Yira was born and raised in Klamath Falls. Once graduating high school, she became a DSP and fell in love with assisting others in their daily lives.

Yira lives with her baby girl and boyfriend. She also has 3 fur babies, 2 dogs and 1 eccentric cat. Yira enjoys exploring Oregon’s wilderness and vacationing on California’s beaches.

After seeing the need for activities for the I/DD community in Klamath Falls, she formed an event committee called ELEVATE. Yira wrangled together 7 local agencies who work with our community to participate in planning. The committee is still growing and adding more events every year.

She hopes that this is just the beginning to a long career in I/DD services. She is grateful to be learning from such wonderful colleagues.