Melissa Rutland

Melissa lives in a rural area about 15 miles south of Tifton, Georgia. She started in the field of Developmental Disabilities in 1999 thru her employment with Diversified Enterprises. Melissa first worked as a clerk in the front office, after about a year she was offered a position as the Community Support Manager, she held this position until 2006, when she was offered a position as the agency trainer and worked as the agency trainer until 2010 when she was offered the position of Community Employment Manager. She has fully embraced the Discovery technique to help people find meaningful employment in the community. Melissa is a certified Direct Support Professional 2011. Melissa has gone thru the Discovery and Profile training Michael Callahan offered in the State of Georgia in 2012. Certified in Customized Employment 2016 and Systematic Instruction 2017, she is also a CESP (Certified Employment Support Professional) 2017. Diversified Enterprises is an Employment First Agency. She has been successful in using the tools taught in Discovery and Profile training to assist people to find employment.

Melinda oversees the day to day operations of the community support division. She is a native of Ashburn, Georgia and has over 17 years of experience in the area of developmental disabilities. Melinda has a passion to provide a means of people to achieve things that they never thought conceivable. Melinda’s top priority is empowering her employees through coaching and mentoring. The community support division encourages and builds on existing social networks and natural sources of support, and promotes inclusion in the community and safety in the home environment.

Kenzy received her BS in Business Management from Kennesaw State University. Kenzy worked as Director of Residential services with SCOR Alternative, after five years there she left to work for an organization that produced personal effectiveness seminars for which she was a Manager and Seminar Leader. After 25 years Kenzy returned to her first love, which is supporting individuals with developmental disabilities to live a life of empowerment, independence and contribution. She is a Person Centered Thinking Trainer, Positive Behavior Support Trainer, and a Certified Direct Support Professional. As David Pitonyak states, Kenzy believes “The essence of everything is relationship, don’t ignore that.” Kenzy understands “Relationships are not boxes we can fit people into.”

"Without a vision the people perish" is a statement that drives Yolanda to be the mother, wife, advocate, and team player she is today. She has continued to serve people supported at Diversified Enterprises since 2005. Mrs. Powell currently serves as the Residential Manager of the Host Home Life Sharing Department. Mrs. Powell is a certified  Person Centered Thinking Trainer. She is also a certified trainer in the Mandt System, Positive Behavior Supports and Intervention, and BCLS. Mrs. Powell has served on the Georgia Learning Community Board, Local School Governance Team for two years, and is the Vice-President of a faith based initiative. She is also co-founder of Parent and Advocate Coalition of Tift County (P. A. C. T.) whose focus is to empower parents with the tools and supports needed to help their children with disabilities gain access to supports in their communities. For the past two years Mrs. Powell has also served as a supporting parent through Parent 2 Parent of GA. 

Inclusion is not an event, it's a lifestyle. 

Candace coordinates employment for the agency by processing incoming applications, organizing pre-employment and the Orientation process as well as manages all employee changes. She also coordinates the agencies training program, both in house and online. In addition, she provides administrative support to all departments. Candace earned a Masters of Science Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Valdosta State University in 2011. She has several years experience in Human Resources within different fields of employment. Upon working for Hospice as the Volunteer Coordinator and later Business Office Manager, Candace developed an appreciation for employees who choose to work with others to give those individuals a better quality of life; she enjoys that she can provide the administrative support to help Diversified Enterprises’ employees meet those goals.

Tracie Eldridge coordinates and oversees the satisfaction and services of individuals with developmental disabilities, as well as helps to ensure that compliance of our standards and policies are maintained; specifically HIPPA, Rights & Responsibilities, and Complaints & Grievances. Before coming to Diversified, Tracie worked in public education, as a teacher of students with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities, for 20 years. During her time as an educator, Tracie noticed a big disconnect between students graduating and successfully transitioning into a life outside of the comfort of the school environment. Her desire to help bridge the gap of newly graduating young adults with disabilities that have more access and opportunity to live, work, and enjoy a meaningful life in welcoming communities, is what led her to Diversified. Born and raised in Adel, Georgia, she is a graduate of Cook High School and continued her education at Valdosta State University and Nova Southeastern University. Tracie holds a B.S.Ed. in Special Education, M.S.Ed. in Interrelated Disabilities, and Ed.S. in Education Administration. She has one son, who is a sophomore at Savannah State University and one daughter, who is a senior at Worth County High School. Tracie enjoys reading, painting, traveling, and spending time with her children during her free time.