By Andy Furman
The Point/Arc
Brandon Releford, who was named Director of Education for The Point/Arc’s Zembrodt Education Center (ZEC) this week, can’t wait to get started. And he’s waited a long time for the opportunity.
“I’ve known about The Point/Arc for quite a while,” said the 39-year-old native of Independence. “The mission allows individuals to be creative as well as function in the community. That is a huge deal for me.”
Releford is no stranger to education and teaching. He’s spent the past 10 years in Workforce Development as a Coordinator of Career Services, a Workforce Instructor, Career and Placement Specialist and a Case Management employee.
Brandon Releford (Photo from The Point/ARC)
Currently, he serves as Program Director for Northern Kentucky Community Action (NKCAC) Commission’s Senior Community Service Employment Program. At Gateway Community and Technical College, Releford served as adjunct faculty in the Early Childhood Education and Human Services departments.
He will remain on the Gateway staff as an adjunct instructor while serving at The Point/Arc’s Zembrodt Education Center. The Lee College graduate spent five years as a classroom teacher at a private school in Northern Kentucky.
“We are excited to have Brandon at The Point/Arc,” said President Judi Gerding. “His education and experience are sure to be great assets to The Point, and we anticipate that he will also be a great fit and awesome addition to our team.”
Releford said his plans include a “big piece of workforce development.
“Once we complete transitions, we’ll shift to employment specialists, hopefully to have our students gain employment in the process,” he said. “I have the passion to teach individuals who want to learn and who may have different learning styles. I feel as if I thrive on this challenge.”
The Point/Arc was founded in 1972 by a group of parents fighting for the educational rights of their children, who were diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD). The mission – to help people with disabilities achieve their highest potential educationally, socially, residentially and vocationally. More than this, The Point/Arc has been an organization that identifies gaps in services and provides care and support to fill these gaps – even government funding sources are not available,
When the ZEC opens this fall, it will be a first for the Education Center as well as for Releford. The Zembrodt Education Center officially opened in 2020, and was totally vacant last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Releford becomes the first active Director in the new Center.
“I’ve prepared for this position all my life,” he said. “I’m pretty excited. This position was tailor-made for me.
