ABOVE: Heidi Smith is the new Executive Director at STEP Inc. in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– STEP Inc. has welcomed a new executive director following the retirement of Sue Eisenmenger. Heidi Smith brings with her over 30 years of experience to the local organization which provides support, training and employment for people with disabilities.

Smith came from Winona, where she was most recently working at Winona ORC, which is a non-profit that partners with businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

“I’ve always had a passion surrounding people with disabilities. It’s been a part of who I am for so long. I love serving people with disabilities and giving them a chance to have a better quality of life,” Smith said.

She became aware of the open position in Fairmont after the president of MOHR (Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation) contacted her and told her she would be a good fit for it.

“It’s the state association that does our advocacy and policies. All of the organizations like STEP and ORC are members of it and I’m very active in it,” Smith said.

She applied for the position at STEP and interviewed with the board. She was drawn to it as it’s closer to family and she trusted MOHR’s board president who believed she would be a good fit for the role.

“Sue, my predecessor, has a long history in our field and a lot of respect and I knew she would run an organization that would be pretty awesome,” Smith said.

She was also aware of how progressive STEP is, which she found appealing.

“There’s a lot of cool things going on here and I wanted to be a part of it,” Smith said.

Ned Koppen is a member of the board of directors and while he said they had several good candidates, the skills that Smith brought to the table is what they were looking for.

“She’s had a long and successful career in this field. Someone with Heidi’s skillset and talents and experience, it’s a good fit for carrying forward the work that Sue did. We were really luck that she was available and came to take the position,” Koppen said.

She oversees a staff of about 65 which serve roughly 125 individuals between Martin, Faribault and Watonwan counties.

“The leadership team here is really incredible and has a lot of great ideas for making STEP even better. I feel like a big part of my role is helping us shape that future. There’s a lot of exciting things happening in the field of day services and employment,” Smith said.

Right now, the month of October is Disability Employment Awareness Month in Minnesota. It’s something Smith thinks is important to recognize.

“I think there’s a huge population within people with disabilities that are overlooked for opportunities for employment. Currently the field and our funding and the philosophy have all evolved into creating opportunities for support in a meaningful way for people with disabilities to be able to get what they need to carve out jobs for them.”

She also noted that employers are hungry for employees so it creates a perfect storm where opportunities can be created for employers to see the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

Smith expressed excitement with being here. She and her husband moved to Welcome just several months ago before she started her new role.

“I’ve enjoyed the community so far. It’s been a good experience,” Smith said.