L to R: CEO David Dwyer, CRS Litza Bailakis, Director Will Ellis
Litza Bailakis, a Career Resource Specialist (CRS) in our Lowell, MA market, was recently awarded a Success-at-Work Award during a team meeting. She was nominated for the award by Will Ellis, our Lowell/Merrimack Valley Director. In his nomination, Director Ellis wrote:
Litza Bailakis was hired as a CRS in Lowell back in May 2021. She trained with Director Will Ellis and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program Coordinator Jennifer Roman. Litza successfully created her first client placement on 6/28/21. Since then, she has placed over 30 VR clients and is the CRS with the most placements company-wide this year! Litza has embodied the WOU core belief that all people can work, and she consistently helps clients achieve their goals.
Litza embraces her work with clients and is an incredible business developer. Litza is compassionate, thoughtful, resourceful, and has a bright personality that positively impacts all who meet her. Litza is always willing to jump in and help other team members. She has helped connect a fellow team member with a resource training organization focused on placing individuals with autism, in hopes to help a client overcome their barriers for employment. Litza helped another team member’s client by utilizing community resources to obtain interview clothing for an upcoming job interview. Litza has helped build successful and reciprocal relationships with employers in the Lowell area. These connections have positively impacted other clients within the Lowell team.
One placement that stands out is a client who was placed at a local retail store. The client had been a long-term client of WOU, having been placed in several positions in the last couple of years but had never reached successful closure/long term placement. Litza ‘rolled up her sleeves and went for it’. With Litza’s support, the client was able to overcome some of his barriers with interviewing, where he really struggled with answering certain types of questions. Once Litza discovered this obstacle, they were able to overcome this barrier together. The client was also set up with an incredible natural support in the workplace that Litza was instrumental in establishing. The client has been successfully ‘closed’ and emails Litza updates to share his recent successes and achievements. The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) expressed gratitude for this at a recent quarterly meeting, as this client had been in their services for years with no success. Additionally, a VR Counselor shared that Litza is amazing at placing clients and goes above and beyond with every client she is assigned.
Congratulations Litza, on this well-deserved recognition for your hard work and embodying the values of our WOU culture.
