Meet Dionne Byrd
Executive Administrative Assistant, North Midtown Community Development Corporation
Dionne Byrd, age 38 and mother of three is now the Executive Administrative Assistant. for North Midtown Community Development Corporation. Becoming the Executive Administrative Assistant of NMCDC by no means was a walk in the park. She was recently laid-off from her job as a receptionist because of economic hard-ship. She had to turn to North Midtown DHS for assistance. She applied for TANF and was told that the only way to receive those monies was to participate in the TANF Work Program. The program is set up to help parents become more familiar with job readiness. The program taught her how to write a resume, properly fill out an application and how to prepare for an interview.
As to any program there are rules you have to follow. The main rule being: treat this program as a job! Meaning, come to class on time, dress properly, respect yourself and others around you and lastly apply yourself and do the best that you can. Dionne showed up every day and by no means did she stray away from the rules. Then one day an opportunity presented itself and she was asked to teach the class for a teacher who was going to be out for a little while. She gladly accepted knowing that she wasn’t going to be paid nor was there a promise of her getting a job. She felt honored to be able to help someone who helped her in so many ways. Upon the teachers return she was told that there may be a position available for her. Dionne Byrd was hired on January 12, 2009. North Midtowns DHS Job Coordinator Kristine Williams, Work Ready School Coordinator, Bobbie Burks, DHS Supervisor, Susan Austin, Office Manager, Althea Collier, and Executive Director of North Midtown CDC, Frances Howze had given her the opportunity of a lifetime. She believes that they were her Angels sent to her by God to help mold her into the person that she has become today. Without having faith and North Midtown’s guidance she believes that she wouldn’t have gained the tools necessary for her to have come this far.