From intern to entry-level employee to program manager and now executive director, the new leader of Mobius Inc. has had a relationship with the agency spanning essentially half her life.
Rebecca “Becca” Emmons – then Becca Morin – first became active with Mobius as a senior at Lincoln Academy, volunteering at the annual dinner and in the art program at the Damariscotta-based agency, which serves individuals with disabilities.
Later, to fulfill a requirement for her bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Maine at Farmington, Emmons returned to Mobius and completed an internship in children’s case management.
As a case manager, she conducted home visits and ensured children had access to basic needs like food and health care. Through this experience, “I realized I was better suited for community-oriented work as opposed to being in the classroom,” she said.
She continued to work at Mobius during her summer vacations in a direct-support role in the adult day program and the children’s program. Mobius’ direct-support professionals are entry-level employees who provide day-to-day care for clients.
Emmons also took on special projects, like preparing the agency for an accreditation process.
After graduation and a year as a special-education teacher, she again returned to Mobius to research a new program aimed at helping young adults achieve independence.
Emmons developed and became the first manager of the Learning Exploration Achievement Discovery program, or LEAD, a position she would hold from 2006 to 2009.
Emmons continued her education at the same time, obtaining a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2010. For five years, Emmons worked for Healthy Lincoln County and for the Maine Primary Care Association.
Even during this time away, Emmons retained ties to Mobius as a member of the board of directors. She was the board’s vice president when then-Executive Director David Lawlor, whom she describes as an important mentor, announced his plans to retire.
Emmons immediately resigned from the board and applied for the job.
The job is “the best fit for me in terms of my passion for people with disabilities,” Emmons said.
A Lincoln County native and graduate of Great Salt Bay Community School and Lincoln Academy, Emmons knew she would work with people with disabilities as early as fifth or sixth grade.
Her passion stems in part from her own experiences. “I had a family member with a disability and she passed away my junior year of undergrad and we were very, very close,” Emmons said.
Emmons appreciates the opportunity Mobius offers to make a difference in all areas and stages of an individual’s life, and to “see real change happen for people and amazing moments for them that maybe others never thought possible,” she said.
Emmons started work as executive director Dec. 1, 2014, completing a rise through the ranks that frequently repeats itself at Mobius.
Director of Integrated Services Michaela York started as a manager. After 18 years, “she’s essentially our version of a chief operating officer,” Emmons said.
Cheryl Achorn, Jennifer Oliver, and Angela Robinson started in direct care and now work in human resources, lead a new mental-health service, and manage multiple residential programs, respectively.
Emmons sees “no boundary” to the opportunities available at Mobius. “There’s always opportunity for innovation – a new idea, a new path,” she said. Mobius employees often move up outside the agency too.
“It’s a great place to – if you think you might be interested in working in social services – to come and really see firsthand how things work before you move into more of an administrative role,” Emmons said.
The agency hopes to attract more direct-care staff as it is “expanding rapidly,” Emmons said, recently adding 10 clients after the state Legislature approved funds to reduce a waiting list for services.
Mobius is growing in other ways too.
The agency plans to hold an open house for a recently acquired and renovated location at 3 Chapman St. in September. The building houses behavioral- and mental-health services and the LEAD program, as well as administrative offices.
Mobius is expanding its arts program, Creative Expressions, to meet interest, and the agency will soon open a new, multi-unit residential program in Wiscasset.
The agency also faces challenges on the horizon, including a change in state policy to a model the state calls “supporting individual success.”
Mobius provides services in three categories – community, residential, and work. The state has always capped funds for the community and work services each individual receives. Now, the state will cap all three.
The challenge for Mobius will be “to figure out how to maintain a high-quality, safe service” with less money in some situations. Emmons believes the agency has a solid plan in place, which it will test before the new policy takes effect next July.
Emmons sees another challenge in her desire to increase awareness of Mobius and “what we do and why we do it,” she said.
“Many people perceive Mobius to be just this building, 319 Main St., however, we employ just under 150 people and operate services in 23 locations,” Emmons said.
Everything Mobius does seeks to fulfill its philosophy of “valued roles in the community” for its many clients. While Mobius focuses on providing the “valued roles,” it could not do so without the support of the “community.”
“I constantly hear and see how gracious, kind, and supportive this community is and how accepting of people with differences,” Emmons said. “I know not every community or every neighborhood in the state is like that, and I also know other agencies like Mobius have not had that reception.”
Emmons said she wants to thank the community for its support and send “a continued thank you, because I only see it getting better as we serve more people and receive more people in their home community.”
Emmons, 33, lives in Newcastle with her husband, Lee Emmons.
