Supervising Success: 5 Questions with Emily Neuzil, Assistant Department Supervisor

“Many organizations have a mission statement, but day in and day out I see our case management department actually lead with and live out that mission,” shared Emily Neuzil, Assistant Department Supervisor. Emily, born and raised in Minnesota, has been with Dungarvin a little over three years but has been supporting others in similar ways since she was 17. Get to know this dedicated individual better through ‘5 questions with Emily Neuzil:’

1. Why do you have a passion for this work?

My brother has Autism and that is from where my passion to work in the human service field stems. I have seen my mom navigate my brother’s waivered services, and I always knew I wanted to help others navigating these needed services and supports. My passion is to lead and support people in doing the hard work so others can live out their life independently and the way that they want to live.

2. What characteristic – or adjective – would people use to describe you?

As my mom would say, “you never give up on doing the right thing – it’s your perseverance in life that has gotten you to where you are today.”

3. How long have you worked at Dungarvin; in the IDD industry?

I have been with Dungarvin for three years. I have been in the field since I was 17 working as a Personal Care Assistant, which I still do to this day. After college, I worked at a crisis nursery for kiddo’s ages 0-6 where our mission was about ending child abuse. After five years, I decided to explore my passion for disability services as a Care Coordinator at a 245D agency where I oversaw staff and group homes for more than two years. This is the job that allowed me to learn more about Case Management, which is when I ultimately made the switch to managing waivered services. I am truly blessed to have been able to find my career with Dungarvin!

4. What would you most like to see happen in your state to better serve people with disabilities?

Continued improvement on access to disability services. Also, restructuring the appeal process that individuals and their families must go through when advocating for their disability services. The current process is often complicating, time-consuming and can be highly defeating to the individual.

5. Who are your heroes in life and why?

My mom is my hero – when my brother was diagnosed with Autism back in 1988, there was limited awareness about this diagnosis. She always made sure to be an advocate and still ensures that he has a voice that is heard and respected. Her style of advocacy is something I hope I always emulate when working with individuals and case managers in my career.