Hey everyone!  I am Jan Saunders the Area Manager here at employU in Jacksonville.  As the Area Manager, I work with a wonderful team of Employment Specialists.  I have worked as a Social Worker for over 25 years. For most of those years, my work focused on helping survivors of crime and adults, youth, and children in crisis.  Through those years I was fortunate to be able to assist people of every age, background, and of level of abilities.

Although I spent most of my life in Florida, where I attended middle school, high school, and graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Social Work degree, in 2007 we moved to Wisconsin. While there I continued my work in social services as well as owning my own business. After 12 years of winters, we decided to move back to Florida and to the Jacksonville area.  That is when I found employU. Luckily, they were looking for someone with my experience in management and passion for working with individuals from varied backgrounds, so we were a perfect match.

Since beginning my career at employU I have found it to be incredibly rewarding and have learned so much.  My family loves to hear about all the jobs I get to do when job coaching with clients.  Whether it is learning how the stockroom of a clothing store is organized and gets products out to the floor or seeing how much work goes into making those afternoon smoothies we all love so much, it is never the same day twice. The best days are when I get to see a client land the job they have been looking for and finding a place where they can grow, acquire new skills, and change the way people view individuals with differing abilities. I look forward to continuing to educate the business community here in Jacksonville on just how much our clients have to offer.