Black Hills Works would like to congratulate Darrell Slone on his retirement after 30 years with Black Hills Works! Darrell has worn many hats during his time at Black Hills Works, and currently serves as the Director of Quality Assurance and Improvement.
Darrell is truly a “jack of all trades” who has worn many hats over the years. His coworkers have come to rely on his flexibility and “can-do” attitude in countless situations, from teaching new employees to jumping on a plane to Kansas City to assist with urgent needs, all without hesitation. Darrell’s ability to adapt and get the job done, often ahead of schedule, has made him an invaluable asset to the team. His skills in time management, problem-solving, and communication have left a lasting impact. Known for his welcoming demeanor and dedication, Darrell’s contributions will be deeply missed.
Darrell was asked to share about his time with Black Hills Works. Here is what he had to share:
- What aspect of your role have you found to be the most rewarding? Why?
- “My relationships with our participants. On day one, I meshed quickly with a young lady at the Indiana home and to this day we still have a very close relationship. When we see each other, we talk about family, pets, and life – after we get that incredible hug and smile. Later in my career we had a young man join our agency and I was assigned as his Internal Support Coordinator. Twenty-plus years later our relationship and the support we provide for each other continues.”
- “My relationships with our participants. On day one, I meshed quickly with a young lady at the Indiana home and to this day we still have a very close relationship. When we see each other, we talk about family, pets, and life – after we get that incredible hug and smile. Later in my career we had a young man join our agency and I was assigned as his Internal Support Coordinator. Twenty-plus years later our relationship and the support we provide for each other continues.”
- What has kept you motivated and passionate about your work here for all these years?
- “Having fantastic supervisors and knowing that if you want increased responsibilities/tasks/another position, opportunities are abundant! I appreciate my supervisors and coworkers encouraging and supporting me with moving into other positions at Black Hills Works.”
- “Having fantastic supervisors and knowing that if you want increased responsibilities/tasks/another position, opportunities are abundant! I appreciate my supervisors and coworkers encouraging and supporting me with moving into other positions at Black Hills Works.”
- What are some of your favorite memories from working at Black Hills Works?
- “Wow, I don’t know if we have enough time or paper for this one! A few are my opportunities and growth within the company; trips to Omaha, Nebraska to support our participants and staff with training; a two-week training session provided by David Pitonyak on Positive Behavior Support in Chamberlain, South Dakota; supporting our participants with Special Olympics bowling for many years; providing a variety of training to our support staff; and a final one would be the relationships that I have had and cherished with the staff who have worked with me during my time here. They are truly a supportive and understanding group of folks.”
- “Wow, I don’t know if we have enough time or paper for this one! A few are my opportunities and growth within the company; trips to Omaha, Nebraska to support our participants and staff with training; a two-week training session provided by David Pitonyak on Positive Behavior Support in Chamberlain, South Dakota; supporting our participants with Special Olympics bowling for many years; providing a variety of training to our support staff; and a final one would be the relationships that I have had and cherished with the staff who have worked with me during my time here. They are truly a supportive and understanding group of folks.”
- How have you built relationships with participants? What have you learned from them?
- “Respect and value them. Because of the variety of positions I have had in my 30 years, I know about three quarters of our participants, and they acknowledge me when I see them at work or in the community. Many of them are incredible story tellers! What I have learned from them is that each one of them has unique personalities, and they crave social interaction and want to be valued.”
- “Respect and value them. Because of the variety of positions I have had in my 30 years, I know about three quarters of our participants, and they acknowledge me when I see them at work or in the community. Many of them are incredible story tellers! What I have learned from them is that each one of them has unique personalities, and they crave social interaction and want to be valued.”
- If you could give your younger self some advice when you first started here, what would it be?
- “I think this advice would be for our current staff and future staff – embrace change! For many years the tag line on my email threads has been “Blessed are the flexible, for they will never be bent out of shape.”
- “I think this advice would be for our current staff and future staff – embrace change! For many years the tag line on my email threads has been “Blessed are the flexible, for they will never be bent out of shape.”
- Looking back on your time here, what are the most significant achievements you’ve witnessed in our organization’s work?
- “Our growth as an agency; our explorative mindset on ideas in which make things better for our staff as well as our participants; and those daily opportunities to learn!”
- “Our growth as an agency; our explorative mindset on ideas in which make things better for our staff as well as our participants; and those daily opportunities to learn!”
- What do you hope for the future of Black Hills Works and the people we serve?
- “Encourage us to take a moment and PAUSE every now and then – to enjoy our successes and to evaluate challenges ahead. It has been an incredible journey for me!”
Thank you, Darrell for your years of dedicated service to our participants and to Black Hills Works! Your smiling face in the hallway will be missed. Best of luck on your next adventure!
