Lashon Joyner
Lashon Joyner, She/Her, is a human services and administrative professional with more than 30 years of experience spanning mental health, developmental support, education, and financial operations. She currently works in an administrative and financial support role with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1336 in Stratford, Connecticut, where she supports organizational operations, financial processes, and member services. Her career reflects a strong foundation in accountability, service coordination, and people-centered work across both union and community-based environments.
Her journey in human services began at age 14, when she and her cousin volunteered as camp counselors at East DeSales Rehabilitation Center, working with young children ages 2 to 4. That early experience sparked a lifelong commitment to supporting others and led to a diverse career in the field. Over the years, she has served in roles such as paraprofessional in Stratford Public Schools, job coach, recovery assistant, and Behavior Technician. She is currently between positions due to employer restructuring. In her most recent role as a Behavior Technician, she provided in-home support to a 9-year-old autistic child, focusing on academic development, daily living skills, and social skills to promote independence and functional growth.
Lashon’s primary area of expertise is mental health, complemented by extensive experience in both human services and financial administration. She holds an Associate’s degree in Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services and a Certified Phlebotomy Technician credential. Currently, she is focused on continued professional growth—studying for her Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification and enrolled in a medical billing and coding program. With her children now older, she is dedicating this stage of her career to expanding her skills and blending her background in accounting with her passion for healthcare and human services.
• CPR
• PMT
• Certified Phlebotomy Technician, Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
• ABI Certificate
• Housatonic Community College - Associate's degree, Accounting
• Fraternal Order of Eagles 588 member
• 1199 union member
• Church Event Planning Committee
• Church Event Planning Committee
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to determination and hard work, and just keeping on progressing no matter what - keep pushing. Becoming a single parent abruptly really shaped my journey. My son's dad was killed on a motorcycle, and we were supposed to get married. After that, I've been on this path where I need to take care of my family, and I'm gonna take care of my family by any means necessary, as long as it's legal. That adversity pushed me to keep moving forward. I started in this field at age 14 as a volunteer camp counselor at East DeSales Rehabilitation Center, where my aunt sent me and my cousin to work with small children. That experience catapulted me into human services, and I've been in the field for over 30 years now. I've worked as a paraprofessional for Stratford public schools, as a job coach, and most recently as a behavior technician working with a 9-year-old autistic child. Even though I'm currently unemployed due to company restructuring, I'm using this time to grow - I'm studying for my RBT certification and enrolled in a medical billing and coding course starting next month. My children are older now, so I'm able to focus on me and keep progressing in my career.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from my aunt, Jeanette Larks, who has dementia now. She was the one who always told me, you know, you can always change your career, you can always go back to school, you can always take courses. She has been the one who pushed me, saying hey, you should take this course, you should take that. She really made me feel like I could do anything, and I should do anything that I want to. She pushed me out of my comfort zones to really grow in this profession.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You have to be strong-minded and open-minded, because in this field, it's sometimes a thankless job. You're going to get banter from some of the clients - they don't want to participate, they call you names, they curse at you, and you still have to do your job. So you have to have thick skin. My biggest advice is to get every certification offered to you. After working in the field for some time, I've noticed that they want you to be certified in this, certified in that - there are always new certifications coming up. I didn't even know what a QID certification was, so I had to research that. They want you to be in the know and have these certifications, so certification, certification, certification - I think that's a key to progressing in the human service field. Get everything you can, and it doesn't hurt to actually get a degree, even though I didn't get one right away because my life was put on hold and I had to take care of my children. You also need to keep your CPR, your PMT - those are recurring certifications that you need to do annually or semi-annually, whatever your agency has in place.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My career journey has not been without challenges. After experiencing unemployment due to company restructuring, I found myself reevaluating my future while also navigating life as a single parent following the loss of my partner. These experiences pushed me to keep growing rather than give up and reinforced that setbacks do not define us—our response to them does. In my field, one of the biggest challenges is adapting to ongoing organizational changes while maintaining stability and consistency in service delivery, but it also presents meaningful opportunities for growth through continued education, certification, and expanding into more specialized roles. This perspective has inspired me to begin a new chapter in medical billing and coding, with classes starting next month, as I continue building on my experience in human services while pursuing long-term stability and greater opportunities for my family through education and professional development.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Helping people has always been part of who I am. Determination and hard work .After the passing of her partner, faced the challenges of becoming a single parent while navigating career transitions and financial uncertainty. Rather than allowing hardship to define her, she used it as fuel for growth. Returning to school and pursuing new opportunities became a testament to her resilience and refusal to give up.