Devereux California has appointed Amy West the administrator of its Supported Living Services program in Santa Barbara County.
During her 14 years with Devereux, West started by working part time, then full time in Devereux’s former group homes, covering overnight shifts while she worked her way through college.
She earned an associate’s degree in environmental horticulture from SBCC and had a landscape design business early in her career. Since then, she has earned a bachelor’s degree in public sector management and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Northridge.
Her hands-on experience helping people with developmental disabilities and emotional, behavioral disorders at Devereux changed West’s career path to the human services field.
In April 2005, West moved from direct care staff to case manager in Devereux’s Supported Living Program. With her longevity in the off-campus programs, she has served many of the same individuals for more than a decade.
“There are some awesome moments seeing the folks’ dreams become reality,” West said. “It’s inspiring to watch these individuals directing their own lives … seeing them learn and grow and develop as people. Helping facilitate their goals is one of the greatest rewards of this job.”
As program administrator, West said she looks forward to utilizing her extensive experience to provide the SLS case managers with the tools to excel in their jobs. She is also excited to have the opportunity to be part of the process of expanding Supported Living Services beyond the 42 people Devereux serves with 50 full-time and part-time staff in the communities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Buellton, Los Olivos and Lompoc.
— Janis Johnson is the external affairs manager for Devereux California.
