Brendan Woodburn

Employer: Enable, Inc.

Graduation Year: 1995

Current Position: Vocation Specialist

Biography: 

After graduating from Albion College, Woodburn attended Tufts University from 1996-1999 where he earned an MA in Urban and Environmental Policy Studies.  Through his work there, he became interested in faith-based social services and entered the seminary to become a Catholic priest.  He earned a certificate in philosophical and religious studies from the Pontifical College Josephinum, but decided to look for work outside the priesthood and ended up in Metro Detroit where he substitute taught during the spring of 2001.

Woodburn then got a job at Father Bill's Place, a shelter system in Quincy, MA where he was a case manager for the "Shelter Plus Care" voucher program.  There he worked with individuals with HIV and dual diagnosis to find housing for them and their families.  After 13 months there, he worked for the Brockton Coalition for the Homeless as a case manager for the Tenancy Preservation Program, where he assisted individuals with disabilities in keeping their housing by working with the courts, landlords, and housing authorities.

As of now, he works part-time on weekends at a group home with five women who have both developmental disabilities and mental illness.  This means he cooks, cleans, goes on outings, gives medications, and performs countless other tasks to assist them.

Woodburn's full-time employment is with Enable, Inc.  He is a vocational specialist where he assists individuals with disabilities in meeting their work goals.  He does this by evaluating them in volunteer settings, helping them develop resumes, helping fill out applications, and networking with employers.  Once they obtain work, Enable provides onsite job coaching.

"At Albion I learned how to write, think critically, be creative, and understand policy ramifications for the programs that fund our agency."