New Employment Director

Little City is delighted to announce Shawna Pearson as the new Director of Employment.

Shawna comes to Little City after having worked as the coordinator of job development at Clearbrook and a DSP, family case manager and CILA coordinator at the Pioneer Center for Human Services. Her breadth of experiences in the field gives her a unique insight into the challenges both staff and participants have to overcome when working toward community employment.

“‘What do you do?’ is one of the first questions we ask people when we meet each other because employment is such a big part of people’s lives,” Shawna said. “Employment can bring a sense of purpose and pride and self-esteem to someone and it is a joy to help people see that dream come true.”

Her passion for helping people with developmental disabilities started when her son was born with autism. After experiencing first-hand the challenges people went through while caring for someone with developmental disabilities, she knew she wanted to make a difference for those families in her professional life.

As Director of Employment, Shawna will oversee programs such as Employee Development Services and Employment First and help grow the vocational skill training, work enclave and volunteer opportunities that will help more people build the skills necessary for community-based employment.

“Community-based employment is one of Little City’s fastest growing and most important programs and we are thankful to have someone like Shawna leading the way,” said Shawn Jeffers, Little City Executive Director. “She has a genuine passion for helping people with developmental disabilities reach their goals and reach a potential they didn’t know they had.”

Outside of work, Shawna enjoyed volunteering at Special Olympics and watching her son compete on the basketball team. She also enjoys hiking and spending time with her golden retriever.

On behalf of all of us at Little City, welcome to the team, Shawna!