Meet Amanda Rioux, OAR’s new Hire Autism manager. She started the job on May 22 and dove right in by meeting one of the successful hires at a business partner site within weeks of being hired. That meeting exemplifies what excites her most about her position: directly connecting individuals with autism to meaningful employment opportunities and watching them succeed.
She hopes to build on the current demonstration project in Northern Virginia and help lead OAR’s efforts to expand Hire Autism nationally. In the immediate future, her goals are to:
A native of North Carolina, Rioux has a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree from George Mason University. She has been working in the nonprofit sector for more than seven years, most recently as a service coordinator for an organization in Maryland that provided face-to-face contact, mentoring, and advocacy to young people involved in the juvenile justice system. She oversaw service delivery for all clients and worked to ensure that they made progress toward their individualized goals.
Her passion for giving back to others and the community has deep roots. As an undergraduate, she volunteered more than 300 hours as an AmeriCorps member and co-led two alternative spring break volunteer trips. Her dedication to civic leadership and social responsibility led to her designation as the university’s first “citizen scholar” when she graduated in 2013. The Citizen Scholar Certificate Program honors students who have participated in a significant number of service-learning courses throughout their collegiate career. More recently, she participated in Arlington County’s civic leadership development program, Neighborhood College.
“I am excited to join this group of individuals who are as passionate as I am about making the world a better place,” Rioux says. “The OAR staff, leadership, and volunteers are a fantastic group of people to work with.”
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