Employee Owner of the Day - October 14, 2021

Oct 14, 2021

Introducing IPMG's Employee Owner of the Day: Nicole Burgess!

Nicole was nominated for this award by the mother of an Individual she serves. The nomination stated, "I wanted to say thank you for allowing our parent group "Across the Spectrum" the opportunity to have Nicole Burgess present information about the Medicaid Wavier program. We have a range of members who have been using the program for years to others who are still on the waiting list trying to get services.

When I initially suggested it to the other leaders in our group, I'm not sure they were as excited and confident with having someone come who really knows the program and could provide the group with good information. As you may know, we have all experienced some case managers who can't or don't provide the help or support needed by the kids and their families. I had confidence in Nicole that she would be the perfect person to help our parents as she has done personally for my family.

As expected, Nicole did an absolutely outstanding job! She provided a video, handouts and her knowledge and expertise, not only this area, but additional information in other areas as parent's asked questions. She was able to provide additional options and thoughts of how to help our children going forward. By the end of the meeting, we had most all parents asking what area Nicole serviced because they wanted her help. This included one of the other leaders in the group who personally requested Nicole to be her case manager. I think this speaks volumes for the work that Nicole does and the heart that she puts in it.

As a client of Nicole's for several years, I can't begin to tell you how helpful Nicole has been in our personal story and what she has done for our child and our family! I don't know what we would have done without her. Trust me when I say, we have personally gone through multiple case managers prior to Nicole. I'm confident that when I reach out to Nicole, she will work endless hours helping find service providers that are not only willing to work with our family but who would be the best fit. She also makes that initial contact to facilitate the process. Once we agree, she completes the process seamlessly. When she is in our home, she is professional, courteous, helpful and most important, respectful. She is an outstanding individual that is near and dear to our family. I'm confident to say that our daughter is as successful as she is because of Nicole's help.”

Nicole writes, "I am honored to be nominated for IPMG Employee Owner of the Month. I have worked with IPMG since April 2017 and with families on the Waiver for 17 years. I enjoy working as a case manager and beside the families on my caseload. I have the privilege to work with many individuals, families, and teams that are hardworking, devoted, and compassionate which makes my duties as a case manager very enjoyable.

I graduated from college as a teacher in 2004. I enjoyed teaching, but with all the cuts in the education world I transitioned to working for a Group Home and Waiver Provider in my small town. I worked as a Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP) for 13 years. I told my boss when he hired me that I would only commit to two years and then I would to transfer back to teaching if possible. Those two years went by very fast, and I quickly realized I was not going back to teaching. I loved working with the families and individuals as a QIDP. They all became so important to me, and I wanted to make sure they received the very best support in order to live out their best life.

In 2015, I married my husband and gained a wonderful daughter. Then in 2016, we added a beautiful little girl to our family. At that time, I realized my work and personal life needed to be better balanced. An IPMG case manager talked with me about potential opportunities at IPMG that would allow me to work from home, have set hours, and continue to work with many of the same wonderful people. It didn’t take me long to discover that signing on with IPMG was one of the best decisions I had ever made. I absolutely love being a case manager at IPMG! I enjoy spending time with the families and individuals I work with on the CIHW and FSW. I have learned so much about each of them as we work together to develop their plans for a good life. I often think my plan for a good life didn’t include being an employee of IPMG, but I am very happy that it is now! I work with an amazing group of people right from my hometown.

My husband and I love living in northeast Indiana where we can be close to the majority of our family. We love to go camping, travel, and to spend time with our family and friends. I enjoy playing and laughing with my daughters, nieces, and nephews. I enjoy reading if I find a minute to myself."

Congratulations, Nicole! We are so blessed to have you on our team!