LANSING, MI- Peckham has named a new director to its board, Esther Onaga, Community Advisory Committee Member and Faculty Emeritus of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University.
Esther Onaga received her Ph. D from Michigan State University in community psychology. She served as the director of evaluation at St. Lawrence Hospital in Lansing followed by a faculty position at Michigan State University. She was a project manager for a NIMH-funded dissemination study of one of the first evidence-based programs serving people with serious and persistent mental illness.
This work led to her receiving several federal and state grants focused on supporting community employment for people with disabilities. She organized The Coalition for Community Living as a mechanism to sustain a national effort to continue the translation of research into practice.
Prior to retirement, she worked with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and coordinated the Michigan Family Impact Seminar working with Michigan policymakers.
“We are privileged to welcome Esther to our board. She brings decades of personal and professional experience related to disability issues and has passionately served as an advocate for the employment and livelihood of people with disabilities,” said Jo Sinha, Peckham President and CEO.
Peckham is a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation organization that provides paid job training opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. For more than 45 years, Peckham has provided jobs and job skills training to thousands of individuals with barriers through five different business lines throughout Michigan, and also has operations in Phoenix, Arizona and London, Kentucky.
Peckham, Inc., is a national award-winning organization, recognized for its achievement in providing exceptional vocational rehabilitation, creating inclusive cultures and building quality workplaces for employees.
