Team Member Spotlight: Leon’e Gilkey

Leon’e Gilkey

IDD

Crisis Stabilization Team

Introduce yourself!

Hello!  I’m Leon’e Gilkey and I am a Supervisor with the Community Networks Program on the Crisis Stabilization Team.

Tell us something about yourself that we’d be surprised to learn.

I attended Morgan State University, a historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland where I received an athletic scholarship to play softball. I moved to Washington in October of 2005 and was hired by David O’Neal at Sound (then named Seattle Mental Health). Sound Is the only employment that I have had since moving to the Puget Sound area.

Do you have any advice for new team members?

If you enjoy advocacy and helping to improve the quality of others’ lives, Sound will offer you the opportunity to make an impact by supporting people and communities. Take care of yourself along the way. Treat yourself. Invest in something you enjoy. Take vacations. Remember what’s important to you.

Do you have any hobbies that you’d like to tell us about?

I love watching or playing sports. We are true sports fans in my home and spend most of our free time engaging in sports-related activities. I can’t deny my love for shopping for decorative household items, clothes, and shoes. I find peace when tending to my flower beds and I’m excited about shopping for bulbs and fuchsia trees this spring.

Name someone here at Sound who has had a big impact on you

Definitely David O’Neal who has believed in me and supported my personal and professional growth in the agency and pushed me beyond my comfort zones. My top strength is consistency, after all. Also, Letha Fernandez who exudes excellence and professionalism. I appreciate her drive and commitment to her position at Sound, as well as within other professional settings. Now that she and I share an office I’m hoping that her organizational skills will rub off on me.

What is your favorite thing about working at Sound?

The IDD Community Networks Program clients and team members. The expansion of the program has been imperative with the trending growth of Seattle’s surrounding cities and neighboring counties. We have initiated a contract for Stabilization Services with the State (Developmental Disabilities Administration/DSHS) to provide outreach and consultation to individuals residing within the Sate’s Region 3 territory. This region stretches from Peirce to Clark County. It is an expansion of our previous existing contracted Stabilization Services accommodating King County residents enrolled in DDA.

 

Please visit Sound’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Services page to learn more about the program.


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