Being named a Paragon is the highest honor any Flobergian can achieve. Any Flobergian has the potential to become a Paragon. Past Paragons have been a Learning Coach, a Maintenance Engineer, a Team Leader, and a Network Director. Your job title isn’t important. It’s your actions that qualify you to be named a Paragon. Actions that exemplify our mission and our values.

Meet the Goldie Floberg’s newest Paragon staff member…Elizabeth Lutmer!! Congratulations Liz!

Elizabeth, our newest Paragon staff member!

Elizabeth, our newest Paragon staff member!

Here is an excerpt from her Paragon nomination letter.

There’s no doubt that Enrichment is Liz’s specialty. She knows how to figure out what new and exciting experiences will help a person develop a rich and full life, whether that’s helping make a client’s dream of going on a Disney vacation into a reality, coordinating camp experiences for those who have never been able to go, or standing back while someone realizes the independence of making their own bank deposit for the first time.  But Liz is also a juggernaut on the business end of being a QIDP.  One of the many things that people probably do not know that Liz is fantastic at is making sure that all our people who need one get an appropriate adult Guardian.  Not glamorous.  But extremely important to our clients’ well-being.  On Liz’s caseload since she started there are at least  8 people who were over 18 and did not have a guardian.  Meaning, for example, in a medical emergency they may not get what they need because they cannot give consent.  Liz is the reigning Queen of getting parents to step up, or recognize when they need to step aside, always with the utmost professionalism.

Since the glorious day when we nabbed Liz from her DSP training class to join the QIDP team, she has not ceased in the Growth aspect of her career here, and has become the foundation of highest performing Q team that we have ever had at the agency.  Without ever having been asked, Liz embodies Leadership – always taking the lead in training new Qs and does a great job.  One of the best and worst days I’ve had in my own position was a day when I stopped in the Q office to go over something with one of the new Q’s and Liz informed me with a wave of her hand and her famous chorkle of a laugh that,  “we already went over that, …yeah, we don’t need you any more”.  

In terms of Teamwork, the word “no” is not in Liz’s vocabulary.  Maybe it should be, but it’s not.  Liz always has time to help a co-worker, talk to a client or work any shift, at any house (except maybe Talladega).  And although having Liz on your team means putting up with louder-than-jet-engine sneezes, endless pet cat references and a number of other behavior plan resistant personality quirks, I don’t think any of us would have it any other way.