Stephanie Burggraff

My journey in disability services began when I was in high school and a teacher approached me about working with a girl my age who has disabilities. I stayed with that family for 7 years and got a firsthand account of what it's like for families to live and raise children with disabilities. When I was looking for my first big kid job, I went to the company I knew through that family, Mainsell, and got into the back-end side of services. That's how I started my current career trajectory, because it all links back to the company and the family I started with when I was in high school. The goal of the work we do is that all people live a valuable and meaningful life that they design. We support people to live in their communities and have access to their community, because all people can make meaningful contributions to the world. We operate as people's support system, their back room for the supports they need like paperwork and payroll. I lead a team of 25 people and oversee all of the operations. The real part of my job that I love is developing new leaders and allowing people to see how, even when they don't think they are a leader, they really are, they have influence, and watching them come into that influence and leadership space and developing them. I am passionate about people.