DISCOVERY LIVING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Brooke began her human services career in 2002 when she worked as a direct caregiver for RISE, Ltd. She joined Discovery Living in 2003 as a direct care worker. She worked as a community services coordinator, direct care staff, the associate director of planning, until accepting the director of human resources in 2017.
Brooke has an associate degree in human services from Northeast Iowa Community College and mind-body medicine facilitator. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern New Hampshire University. She has helped coordinate several ADA celebrations and Abilities in Action conferences, and is a Certified Professional through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-CP).
Cathy joined Discovery Living in June 2019 as the Administrative Assistant. Prior to coming to Discovery Living, Cathy was the Office Manager for a flooring distributor for 8 years. Before that, she did Medical Transcription for various physicians and therapists in the fields of Orthopedics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Physical and Occupational Therapy and Mental Health for over 12 years.
Dani graduated from Coe College with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.
Dani joined Discovery Living in 2014 as a Direct Support Professional. When she graduated from college in 2016, Dani moved into a float position and in 2017, was promoted to an Associate Coordinator. In 2023, she was promoted to a Community Living Coordinator position.
Devin joined Discovery Living in May 2024. He began his work assisting individuals with disabilities as a Paraprofessional at City Highschool in Iowa City. In 2020, he attended Kirkwood Community College to pursue a degree in carpentry. Since then, he has performed construction and maintenance work for Iowa's Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department, and as a general contractor for his own business.
Devin received an Associates in the Arts at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, as well as a Carpentry Degree from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.
Job Titles:
- Development Specialist
- Employee
Krista Sigel began her career in the disabilities field in 2008 as a counselor at Camp Courageous of Iowa. She then worked at Reach for Your Potential while completing her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Dance at the University of Iowa. Krista has worked varying disability positions around the US including a smart home with Imagine! Colorado, an assistant manager of a group home with WWARC in New York, case management in Missouri, The Arc of ECI running their group and getaway program, and UHC as a case manager.
Krista is proud to have become a member of the Discovery Living family in 2019 as a Coordinator. She now serves as one of our Directors of Operations.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Professional
Kristie started working in human services in 1995 as an Associate Coordinator for REM-Kalona. She was promoted to Coordinator for REM-Washington. She worked 5 years at UIHC in Substance Abuse. She was hired at Linn County in 1999 as a case manager, funder, and later the Coord. of Linn Co. MHDD. She currently is a Substitute Teacher. She ended up here in October 2022 less than part time and now part time as an Administrative Support Professional.
Kristie graduated from Marshalltown Community College and UNI with a BA in Social Work.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
A lifelong advocate for disability rights and inclusion, Mary Patton joined Discovery Living in July of 2022 as a community living coordinator. Prior to joining Discovery Living their previous experiences include: career team member of the University of Iowa REACH Program, employment specialist and program coordinator with The Arc of Southeast Iowa, para-educator in the Iowa City Schools (City High), DSP specializing in supporting non-verbal persons with maladaptive behaviors with Systems Unlimited of Iowa City, and most distantly 8 years art therapy experience with Esperanza Community Services of Chicago, IL and as a graduate student of the University of Iowa.
Mary is excited to be part of the Discovery Living community and is looking forward to making lasting connections with those we serve. They are passionate about local, state, and federal policy and eager to continue furthering the cause of disability rights.
Mary's degrees include a Master of Arts from the University of Iowa (2015) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in art therapy from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Planning & Training
Melinda's passion is working with individuals, seeing the smiles on their faces when they make accomplishments of any kind, and overall working as a positive team leMelinda started her career attending Kirkwood Community College and received her Associates of Science degree in Human Service. While she was attending college, she worked at New Horizons in Living Center East. She has been working in the human services field on several different levels for the past 26 years. She has worked at Four Oaks with troubled teens and with REM Iowa as a direct support professional, floater, program supervisor, and a program director.
At the beginning of August 2024, she accepted the position of community living coordinator with Discovery Living. Her passion has always been about individuals and providing them with the best life they can have. She looks forward to learning about the individuals we serve and becoming a part of the Discovery Living family.ader.
Missy joined Discovery Living in September 2021. Prior to joining Discovery Living, Missy worked as the Controller at another Cedar Rapids nonprofit organization and worked in public accounting serving nonprofit clients for 10 years.
Missy has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and finance from The University of Iowa and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Monica joined Discovery Living in April 2016 as the Member Advocate. Prior to this, Monica worked at The MENTOR Network for 17 ½ years in a variety of roles including as the Regional Quality Assurance Manager in three states and started the Host Home program in Iowa. Monica has also worked at Centers for Disabilities and Development as a nursing assistant and at Systems Unlimited as a direct support professional during college.
Monica received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work with a specialization in Special Education from the University of Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Human Resources Generalist
Shannon began her career in the human services in 2001. She moved to Iowa in 2004 to work at Camp Courageous where she served as the Respite Care/Volunteer Director. Upon leaving Camp, Shannon worked as a 911 Dispatcher, and then went back to the recreation field as Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation in Monticello. The desire to work with people with disabilities again drew her to Discovery Living in February 2022 when she was hired as a Community Living Coordinator.
Shannon has a Bachelor of Science in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa in Therapeutic Recreation.
In her free time, Shannon serves as a firefighter and EMT on her local fire department and ambulance service. She is a proud Dog Mom to Diamond and Sue.
Stephanie Ascher is a proud graduate of Mount Mercy University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Stephanie previously worked at St. Luke's Hospital here in Cedar Rapids as a float pool nurse. Stephanie learned all that she could about several areas of medical/surgical floor nursing while at St. Luke's Hospital. She was trained as a floor nurse in cardiac, orthopedic, neurology, oncology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, nephrology, post-op, and post-acute care nursing.
Stephanie received several guardian angel awards and three daisy nominations while she was a floor nurse at St. Luke's. In 2024 she was selected as one of the 100 Great Iowa Nurses, an award she will always cherish deeply from her floor nursing days.
Stephanie was inspired to pursue a career here at Discovery Living after learning from a dear friend about the amazing difference this company was making in the community. Witnessing the genuine way every employee truly cares for the individuals they serve proved to be exactly what she was looking for in the healthcare field.
Having a sister-in-law who suffered from a traumatic brain injury when she was 19 years old after a tragic motor vehicle accident. Stephanie witnessed what a difference her environment made in her diagnosis.
Stephanie is very excited to be a part of Discovery Living. She feels that having the opportunity to observe the caring and kindness that unites this team is the inspiration she was looking for in a lifelong career!
Job Titles:
- Director of Planning & Training
Job Titles:
- Information Technology Associate