J. Erin Riehle, M.S.N.
Erin Riehle is a recognized authority and national leader in promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. She is a founder and Senior Director of Project SEARCH, an employment and transition program that has received national recognition for innovative practices.
When she started Project SEARCH, Erin was a nurse manager at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with no particular expertise in disability issues beyond the strictly medical. Her motivation was to offer people with disabilities-who made up a significant portion of the hospital's patient volume-the same opportunities for training and employment that were available to everyone else. She brought a business perspective to the field of disability education, as well as an ability to bring organizations together for a shared purpose.
Now, Erin is regularly invited to present at national and regional conferences, and has co-authored numerous publications and book chapters. She has served on many national committees and is a past board member for the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE), the Ohio Governor's Council on People with Disabilities, and the U.S. Business Leadership Network. Project SEARCH received the U.S. Department of Labor's 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award, was the Inaugural recipient of Dartmouth-Hitchcock's 2010 James W. Varnum National Quality Award, and received a 2011 Inclusion Champion Award from Mitsubishi Electric America.
Erin lives in Terrace Park, Ohio with her partner, Judy, and their inimitable dog, Molly. When Erin grows up, she wants to be a master gardener.