The story behind the name.
In 1996, I began working with a new Occupational Therapist by the name of Jodie Williams.
We quickly become colleagues that thought similarly; together we would talk over coffee a vision for school-based practitioners that recognized the challenges of working in the school-based setting and aligned itself with more contemporary OT and PT practices.
We both became supervisors in our Maryland district of the OT and PT Programs.
We began to lay the foundation for the vision of school practices we had.
We introduced the concepts of using the International Classification of Function and Workload to our district and together presented nationally on the work we had done which included co-authorship of the Maryland Guide to OT/PT school based and early intervention practices and forms and tools for staff to use to strengthen their practice like the
Determination of Relevant Therapy Tool (DRTT).
Our professional and personal bond continued to develop and strengthen over the course of 20 plus years of working together.
Jodie had brilliant red hair and I was the taller of the two of us.
As a result, we became the "Red and Tall Leaders"-called this by our respective staffs and others in our professional world.
We loved working together.
As we looked towards retirement age, we thought about starting a consulting company.
WHAT'S TALL AND RED?
Why Sequoia Redwoods, of course!
Thus, the name we would use for our company.
In 2016, Jodie became ill with Stage 4 colon cancer.
She retired from her position.
We continued to do some work together but her health continued to decline.
Jodie died on March 29, 2019 after a courageous battle. I continued to work but wanted to fulfill our vision of starting a consulting company that was geared toward the work she and I loved, mentoring staff and professionally developing them to become top flight school based practitioners.
I retired from full time work in September of 2019. In November 2019, I launched my consulting business and named it Sequoia School Based Therapy Solutions, in honor of my dear friend and colleague who left an incredible mark on my life and heart.
SEQUOIA SCHOOL BASED SOLUTIONS MISSION HERE.