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FALL 2011 OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION SERVICES NEWSLETTER Former DRS Client is First Woman, First Native American to Serve on Commission for Rehabilitation Services In the beginning, Lynda Collins was a teenager facing cancer treatment and barriers to employment because of her disability. With help from the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), she got career counseling, encouragement and her first job -- as a social worker trainee at the agency that provided her services. Hiring Collins turned out to be a good decision as she worked her way up through the ranks to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) administrator, retiring after 33 years in 2005. Her previous DRS positions include field service coordinator, program manager, vocational rehabilitation counselor and vocational rehabilitation evaluator. In Aug., Gov. Mary Fallin asked her to return to DRS as a member of the Commission for Rehabilitation Services. Collins is the first woman and first Native American ever appointed to the three-person governing board for the agency. Her three-year term began in Aug. She was elected commission vice chair at her first meeting on Sept. 12. Steve Shelton, a senior application programmer and consultant with Fidelity National Information Services from Edmond, was elected vice chair. Muskogee resident Ray Kirk, a cattle and thoroughbred horse rancher, will serve as a member of the commission. Collins is a member of the Choctaw Nation. "I am a product of DRS, and I believe in this agency, the staff and what it stands for, what it does," Collins said in a telephone interview. "Rehab has been my life. I never regretted my career in VR - never, never. I loved it. "Now I want to work with DRS to help more Oklahomans get the same opportunity I got - to obtain employment, have a good life, be as happy as I've been with the work they choose." Collins, who lives in Mannford currently works as a certified case manager with Daysprings of Tulsa. She visits clients' homes to provide mental health services two days each week. "Lynda Collins will make a great commissioner," DRS Director Michael O'Brien, Ed.D., said. "She understands the needs of our clients and of our agency. Her life has been devoted to people with disabilities, and she will continue to make a difference in this state." Collins, who is a native of Ada, earned a bachelor's of science in psychology and sociology from East Central University and a master's degree in psychology with an emphasis in vocational rehabilitation from Oklahoma State University. She holds a national Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) license and is recognized by the state as a Certified Public Manager (CPM). Collins has been recognized with many professional awards, including the DRS Vocational Rehabilitation Lifetime Achievement Award, INSIDE SIGNPOST Celebrating Employment Success Page 2 Price Knows Job from Both Sides Page 3 Shelton Elected Commission Chair Page 4 Kirk Completes Second Term as Chair .Page 4 VR Leaders Write for National Publication .Page 5 OSD Football: No Friday Night Lights....Page 6 Jones Named VS Administrator Page 8 DRS Personnel Changes Page 9 DRS Expo Smiles and Sights Page 11 Varner Named OSD Superintendent.. Page 12 VR Teams Present at National Conference. Page 13 DDD Staff Receives 58 Building Blocks Page 14 BEP Holds Collaborative Conference. Page 15 Finance Corner Page 16 Lynda Collins from Mannford is the first woman and first Native American ever to serve on the Commission for Rehabilitation Services. She was appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin. National Rehabilitation Association Southwest Region's Voyle C. Scurlock Award and Oklahoma Rehabilitation Association Hubert E. Byrd Award. She was twice named DRS Vocational Rehabilitation Manager of the Year. She and her husband Jud have two children, Blake and Breanna, and three grandchildren, Wilder, Gwyneth, and Adalyn. Collins is the daughter of Wib and Juanita Scroggins from Ada. DRS
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Title | Page 001 |
ODL electronic copy | Scanned by Oklahoma Department of Libraries |
Rights and Permissions | This Oklahoma state government publication is provided for educational purposes under U.S. copyright law. Other usage requires permission of copyright holders. |
Full text | FALL 2011 OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION SERVICES NEWSLETTER Former DRS Client is First Woman, First Native American to Serve on Commission for Rehabilitation Services In the beginning, Lynda Collins was a teenager facing cancer treatment and barriers to employment because of her disability. With help from the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), she got career counseling, encouragement and her first job -- as a social worker trainee at the agency that provided her services. Hiring Collins turned out to be a good decision as she worked her way up through the ranks to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) administrator, retiring after 33 years in 2005. Her previous DRS positions include field service coordinator, program manager, vocational rehabilitation counselor and vocational rehabilitation evaluator. In Aug., Gov. Mary Fallin asked her to return to DRS as a member of the Commission for Rehabilitation Services. Collins is the first woman and first Native American ever appointed to the three-person governing board for the agency. Her three-year term began in Aug. She was elected commission vice chair at her first meeting on Sept. 12. Steve Shelton, a senior application programmer and consultant with Fidelity National Information Services from Edmond, was elected vice chair. Muskogee resident Ray Kirk, a cattle and thoroughbred horse rancher, will serve as a member of the commission. Collins is a member of the Choctaw Nation. "I am a product of DRS, and I believe in this agency, the staff and what it stands for, what it does," Collins said in a telephone interview. "Rehab has been my life. I never regretted my career in VR - never, never. I loved it. "Now I want to work with DRS to help more Oklahomans get the same opportunity I got - to obtain employment, have a good life, be as happy as I've been with the work they choose." Collins, who lives in Mannford currently works as a certified case manager with Daysprings of Tulsa. She visits clients' homes to provide mental health services two days each week. "Lynda Collins will make a great commissioner," DRS Director Michael O'Brien, Ed.D., said. "She understands the needs of our clients and of our agency. Her life has been devoted to people with disabilities, and she will continue to make a difference in this state." Collins, who is a native of Ada, earned a bachelor's of science in psychology and sociology from East Central University and a master's degree in psychology with an emphasis in vocational rehabilitation from Oklahoma State University. She holds a national Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) license and is recognized by the state as a Certified Public Manager (CPM). Collins has been recognized with many professional awards, including the DRS Vocational Rehabilitation Lifetime Achievement Award, INSIDE SIGNPOST Celebrating Employment Success Page 2 Price Knows Job from Both Sides Page 3 Shelton Elected Commission Chair Page 4 Kirk Completes Second Term as Chair .Page 4 VR Leaders Write for National Publication .Page 5 OSD Football: No Friday Night Lights....Page 6 Jones Named VS Administrator Page 8 DRS Personnel Changes Page 9 DRS Expo Smiles and Sights Page 11 Varner Named OSD Superintendent.. Page 12 VR Teams Present at National Conference. Page 13 DDD Staff Receives 58 Building Blocks Page 14 BEP Holds Collaborative Conference. Page 15 Finance Corner Page 16 Lynda Collins from Mannford is the first woman and first Native American ever to serve on the Commission for Rehabilitation Services. She was appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin. National Rehabilitation Association Southwest Region's Voyle C. Scurlock Award and Oklahoma Rehabilitation Association Hubert E. Byrd Award. She was twice named DRS Vocational Rehabilitation Manager of the Year. She and her husband Jud have two children, Blake and Breanna, and three grandchildren, Wilder, Gwyneth, and Adalyn. Collins is the daughter of Wib and Juanita Scroggins from Ada. DRS |
Date created | 2013-01-31 |
Date modified | 2013-01-31 |