Veteran employee Christie Tatman has a special talent in addition to the patience and compassion that make her a valued employee: the uncanny ability to predict who will be named EDEN’s employee of the month. She and fellow employee Sommer Mann have correctly guessed each recipient of the award prior to the official announcement. That all changed in November, however, when Christie received the honor herself.
This employee of the month award has been years in the making. Christie joined the agency in 2000 as a tenant liaison for EDEN’s properties, and within two years, she was promoted to the lead liaison position. Her responsibilities included showing prospective tenants vacant units, helping tenants apply for emergency funds, and maintaining contact with case managers in case a client needed extra assistance. As lead liaison, she was also responsible for training new tenant liaison hires.
Christie describes her six-year stint as a tenant liaison as a very fulfilling experience. Her prior experience as a case manager prepared her to work closely with clients. In fact, she has now worked in the mental health field for more than 10 years. Her favorite aspect of her tenant liaison duties? “Interaction with clients,” she says.
Christie’s successful work with tenants would eventually earn her a promotion. Long before Emerald Commons—the city’s first supportive housing project—was constructed and up and running, EDEN management identified Christie as a perfect candidate for the building’s property manager position. Christie accepted the promotion in December (not long after being named employee of the month) and now works on site at Emerald Commons, where she helps tenants and manages the building’s front desk staff.
Managing Emerald Commons is more demanding and time-consuming than her previous position, but Christie is happy for the added responsibility. “Being on site is the main difference,” she says when comparing this position to her tenant liaison job. “There’s a lot of interaction with the clients.” She’s also glad to continue contributing her efforts to a worthy cause. “I like the fact that I’m still working with the disabled population,” she says.
In addition to all her work at Emerald Commons, Christie is busy planning her upcoming wedding and completing her second bachelor’s degree. She already holds a degree in specialized studies with a minor in women’s health from Ohio University. In May, she will earn another bachelor’s in social work and will then move on to work toward her master’s degree in social service administration.
And how does she feel about being employee of the month in recognition of all her hard work? “It’s an honor,” Christie explains. “It’s nice to be recognized.”
