Johnny Baldwin

Johnny Baldwin is the Director of Employment & Transition Services at Easterseals Arkansas. His career with Easterseals began in 1991 with the development of its Supported Employment Program, focused on helping individuals with disabilities obtain and maintain competitive, integrated employment. Over 35 years he has also worked in federal contract management and Adult Services, and served as Director of the Center for Training and Wellness, supporting adults with disabilities in developing activities of daily living, socialization, and employment skills.

Those experiences helped shape two of Easterseals Arkansas' transition programs: SET for Success, which provides Pre-Employment Transition Services to students with disabilities throughout Arkansas, and the Academics, Community, Career Development and Employment (ACCE) program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Today Johnny leads the Employment & Transition Services team as it builds partnerships with school districts, colleges, employers, state agencies, and community organizations. Together they have grown transition services from four high schools to 36 schools.

Johnny believes an important part of the Easterseals mission is adding the phrase "in their community of choice." Individuals should be able to access services, build relationships, and pursue employment without leaving their hometown or the natural supports that matter to them. That belief guides the team's work to expand services throughout Arkansas, especially in rural communities where access to disability services has often been limited.

What he enjoys most is building relationships and being part of a shared mission. At the end of each day he often asks himself, "Did I give as much as I received?" The answer, he says, is usually that he received far more than he could ever give.

Johnny and his teammate Cesar once captured two raccoons that found their way into his office, using a trash can and trash pinchers, after one fell onto his desk mid-phone call. He was awarded an ESA name tag that reads "The Critter Catcher." One of his greatest passions is his daughter's softball career, which took her to the Softball College World Series field for the All-American Games and now on to play at the collegiate level.

In his words: "I believe we are not measured only by what we accomplish in our own lives, but by what others are able to accomplish because we were part of theirs."