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Six Minutes With EPIC CEO
Clarissa Mitchell

By Nadine Bartholomew, MBA

We asked EPIC CEO, Clarissa Mitchell, a few questions about what she wants the communi-
ty to know about EPIC. Here is what she said...

Q: What makes EPIC different?
A: EPIC is unique in that our leadership team jointly boasts more than 160 years of experience supporting
people with developmental disabilities and 86 percent of this group served a total of 50 plus years as direct
support staff at some point in their career. Not only do we have first-hand knowledge of the supports need-
ed for people to live diverse and quality lives, we are strategically planning and implementing a service mod-
el where this 160 plus years of skill building captured by our leaders will be utilized to empower EPIC’s direct
support team to employ the best practices that we have each learned throughout our careers.

Q: Why is that important?
A: It allows for the direct application of best practices in the field. EPIC is focused on being ahead of the
curve in becoming a mobile agency. This focus will streamline facilities and allow the administrative team to
be accessible to those who need them most; our DSPs and the people we support. That said, EPIC has also
been recruiting for the future. Given the shrinkage in the hiring pool of people who provide direct care for
the developmental disabilities industry, EPIC has taken the initiative to start grooming the next generation.
During the summer, each department at EPIC mentors a high school intern and teaches them about how
nursing, human resources, finance, and leading an organization, like EPIC, is beneficial and can be a reward-
ing career.

Q: What’s ahead for EPIC?
A: EPIC will continue to be on the cutting edge and be a step ahead of whatever new obstacles and challeng-
es may present themselves. As the field of developmental disabilities pushes for more community involve-
ment we will continue to take up the challenge and place our administrative team on the front lines by being
mobile. As a result, we will be much more accessible to our staff and the people we support. The whole team
looks forward to another stimulating year and with the help of all resources at the State and County levels,
we can truly make the greatest difference to empower people with disabilities to maximize their independ-
ence and their quest for full community involvement.

Nadine Bartholomew, MBA, is the Marketing Director for EPIC. Nadine has over 18 years of experi-
ence leading community outreach, cause marketing, and corporate communication efforts at both
non-profit and for-profit organizations in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.

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