Sam Peterson

(Employment Manager)

At MV Advancements we have five core values that help to promote independence, inclusion, and self-respect. They are “We are people people, Let’s try this, Be your best, We got this, and Pivot”. Sam Peterson, Employment Manager for Yamhill County has embodied these five core values throughout her years at MVA and is a wonderful role model to her fellow co-workers. Sam’s love of helping others started at a very young age when she was in elementary school and was in speech therapy for her own speech impediment. Sam stated “this was when I got entwined in the world of disabilities because I was under the umbrella of disabilities myself, due to my speech impediment. All my speech therapy was done with the kids who were in the Special Ed program.” At this point Sam realized that she was no different than the rest of the children, they all grew up together and went through the same speech lessons as a group.

In high school, Sam was a peer tutor in some of her elective classes helping in the Special Ed program. Sam stated, “I loved being with the students, helping them learn and build the skills that they needed in order to be successful in school.” After Sam graduated high school, she went to Chemeketa Community College for the Speech and Language Pathology Assistant Program. When she graduated, she started working at Serendipity which at the time was owned by MVA and used as a vocational training site. Sam worked at Serendipity for a year as a small group supervisor and then was told by Wendi Hoag (MVA Compliance Specialist) “you have nothing left to learn here; you need to go do something more.” Sam was unsure at the time what that would mean for her future but then discovered that there was much more to MVA than just Serendipity.

Sam was hired as an Employment Consultant and worked in that role for about 3 ½ years until she took leave to have her daughter. When Sam returned from leave, she was promoted to Lead Employment Consultant and then from there was promoted to Employment Manager for Yamhill County. In addition, Sam also recently graduated from the McMinnville Chamber (MAC) Leadership program. “During this time, I was able to gain so much knowledge of the ins and outs of not only non-profit businesses, but also for-profit businesses throughout McMinnville, and I have made so many connections. I can’t wait until a supported individual walks through the door and describes what they ar looking for in a job and I am able to match them with a connection from MAC Leadership”.

Each person has their “why”, why they love their job, and what keeps them coming to work each day. When Sam was asked “why”, she replied, “It comes down to watching people succeed, pretty much every day we get to see someone doing great work at their job or building a new work skill. Yuli is a great example of this, she came through Serendipity when I was a supervisor there and she hardly said anything when she was working with me. I would ask her questions until she started to open up. I eventually was able to help Yuli obtain community employment at Serendipity and now Yuli is working her dream job in child care.” Yuli recently terminated services with MVA as she no longer needs job coaching services, which is the ultimate goal for each supported individual. “To see Yuli’s growth over the years is phenomenal and that’s what motivates me every day, to see someone succeeding, and contributing to society is a great feeling.”

Sam’s other favorite success story is a gentleman named Trent. “I have known Trent since high school and was a peer tutor in his special education program.” Trent’s first job that MVA assisted him in finding was with the McMinnville Downtown Association where he took care of the plants on Third Street. Trent then moved to a new position working at the Chehalem Parks and Recreation District in Newberg where he has been working for over three years. Sam stated, “to be a part of his employment journey has been amazing.”

Sam’s favorite thing about working at MVA also ties into her “why”. Sam mentioned “the people and my coworkers, we’re all family. I can call anyone to talk, and I know that they would be there for me. We all work closely together and everyone’s willing to jump in to help wherever they’re needed. I’ve never had a team quite like this and it’s nice to know that I can reach out to anyone as needed and my co- workers will be there for me.” When asked if there was any advice she would give to someone who was interested in working at MVA or this field of work, Sam replied, “I think that it’s important to show your
true self and to be honest when you’re working with supported individuals. You must remember that you are working with people and every person is different and unique and then enjoy that uniqueness in yourself too. It’s important to balance that line of professionalism, but also show who you are because that’s reality for the folks that we work with and we’re teaching them life skills at the end of the day.”

Thank you, Sam, for always leading by example and embracing the MVA core values. You are making a positive difference in the lives of those we support, and we’re grateful to have you on the MVA team for nearly 6 years!