Last week, Lighthouse President and CEO, George Abbott, announced two 2021 Employee of the Year winners in a virtual ceremony. “It’s like the Lighthouse version of the Oscars!” he noted.
Employee of the year awards are an opportunity to show appreciation and recognition when employees go above and beyond in exemplifying the Lighthouse core values. Nominations are made by peers and supervisors, and employees are invited to interview and share more of their stories.
Two employees are chosen each year as winners. One award recognizes a direct labor employee, and the other recognizes an indirect labor employee. They receive recognition from their peers, a monetary prize, and are treated to an all expenses paid trip to the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) conference that’s held each year.
“Your experiences and your journeys are really interesting and inspiring,” George shared with the 12 nominees. Learn about all 12 employee of the year nominees >>
Shawn Dobbs, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition – Indirect Labor Employee of the Year Winner
One of the things that Shawn Dobbs brings to every project and role that he participates in is optimism and enthusiasm.
“Every day is a new opportunity,” Shawn reflects when talking about his role as Senior Director of Talent Acquisition. “When you work in talent acquisition, you really have the chance to add a new chapter to someone’s story.”
Shawn was born with retinopathy of prematurity. “First, I was legally blind and then over time, my retinas detached. I lost all my vision by the time I was 12,” he shares.
“At an early age I understood that being blind, from a societal perspective, puts you at a disadvantage, so I was bent on trying to mitigate that.”
Employment, then and now
Shawn’s very first job was working at McDonalds when he was in high school. From there, he worked as a Renal Social Worker in the small town of Richmond, Indiana after getting his graduate degree.
A few years later, Shawn was invited to apply for a job with Bosma Enterprises in Indianapolis. Shawn worked on vocational readiness, helping people who are blind and low vision. It was there that Shawn first experienced a passion for what would later land him his current role in talent acquisition. “I was doing career inventories and helping people plot out what they wanted to do and look at some of the hidden barriers that exist. Everything may be good on paper, but oftentimes people who are blind have other things that can get in the way. So, I wanted to try to mitigate those as best we could.”
Coming to the Lighthouse
Shawn joined the Lighthouse in May of 2012. He has held a variety of roles in his time here and has worked at all three main Lighthouse manufacturing facilities.
“I started off as the Director of Public Relations and Development in Spokane,” he shares. “I did fundraising, public relations and government affairs work. Then, when we opened up in South Carolina, I was asked if I would go down there and lay the groundwork for fundraising. I worked on developing relationships in the community and helped make sure our culture was implemented down there.”
A few years later, Shawn was promoted to Donor and Government Relations Director. “I continued doing government relations work and also met with major donors to manage that portfolio.”
In 2019 Shawn was selected to participate in NIB’s Business Management Training class, an intensive, graduate level course. Later that year, Shawn was promoted once again, to become Senior Director of Talent Acquisition.
“Being at the Lighthouse has not only allowed me to change professions, but it has really allowed me to grow in leadership. I’m very glad that I came to the Lighthouse because it matches me in terms of ideas and thought concepts. Which is – think big! Be bold and make things happen. Advance the opportunities for people who are blind, and that helps make the world a better place.”
“If you’re going to help people, I believe it’s not just knowledge that you need. It’s empathy and it’s understanding. So for me, having a multitude of experiences has been important. It’s helped not only to shape who I am as a person, but also when I talk to other people who are blind.”
Learn more about open positions at the Lighthouse >>
John Lewis, Lead Production Worker – Raymond W. Haman Direct Labor Employee of the Year Winner
John Lewis joined the Lighthouse team in 2018. When he applied, he had never worked in manufacturing before. But John quickly learned and began cross training on many different machines and projects. Now as a Lead, John has the opportunity to train and encourage other employees.
“I do a lot of training, which I really enjoy. Training is by far the most fun for me! I’ve learned a lot more about the process and how to refine it when I’m training somebody,” he says.
“This job is giving me a lot of opportunities at that! Not only to learn, but then to teach. I think you learn more when you teach,” John continues.
“There’s so many differences between each person that it’s kind of fun to find out what works for that individual. I really want everybody that comes up into my area to be successful.”
“They take that information and are able to develop a skill set with that. It’s just and that’s the goal here. That’s our that’s our objective”
Bechet Syndrome
John has a rare disease called Bechet Syndrome that causes inflammation in the body. More than 15 years ago he started experiencing episodes of inflammation in his arms and legs. Eventually, the episodes began causing inflammation in his eyes, as well. “Episodes involving my eyes has happened about five times,” John shares, “and each time I’ve lost a little bit more and more vision.”
It was years before John was diagnosed with the correct condition and got the medication he needed. “Over the years, they prescribed me the wrong medications because they didn’t know what was wrong. I’ve developed stomach problems and other medical issues from over taking steroids for so many years. At one point, I was taking prednisone every day for about three years to keep that inflammation at bay because it was so bad.”
At the time, John was working in construction. “Working around all those chemicals, all the dust and the strain I was putting on my body, I was realizing really fast that I wasn’t going to be able to do that for very much longer.”
Coming to the Lighthouse
John worried about what was next, like many who experience vision loss. “I was very, very concerned about what type of job would I be able to do, especially if I had another episode. Each time I lose more and more of my vision. I started wondering how am I going to take care of myself as I get older?”
Thankfully, John had a conversation that changed the course of his life. “I was talking to somebody in the waiting room for an eye appointment and they asked if I had ever heard of the Lighthouse. I looked up what the Lighthouse was and made an appointment. And the rest is history!”
“The impact this job has had on me is it’s more spiritual,” John shares. “I feel that I was guided here. It’s just made such a big impact. My relationship with my family is better because I’m not so stressed out. I don’t have this hidden fear that I’m constantly trying to hide anymore.”
