Making an Impact: CDSA Nominee Mellissa Johnson
We’d like to highlight Casa Supervisor Mellissa Johnson, who was nominated for the 2026 Direct Support Professional Empowerment Awards (awarded by the California Disability Services Association/CDSA). Mellissa shows up every day and is prompt. She understands that consistency in care is critical. It helps foster trust. She empowers individuals and families served, as well as her peers. She accomplishes this by being a resource, by proactively guiding others, by taking initiative and problem-solving, and by prioritizing the needs of others.
She is excellent at helping individuals develop and maintain relationships and grow their social networks. She will relate to her residents to demonstrate how relationships can move beyond trials: “I’ll remind them, I have sisters and best friends, too. Even when misunderstandings happen, it doesn’t stop people from loving you.”
She encourages the folks to participate in a variety of activities at Noah Homes and the greater community, like Noah’s PERCH. She facilitates the planning of social activities, always prioritizing the needs and desires of the residents. She has taken the folks out to places such as SeaWorld San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, fishing at the lake, or taking the train to San Juan Capistrano to visit the Mission.
Mellissa was recognized by Noah Homes as Employee of the Quarter in 2025 and was promoted to Casa Supervisor in May 2026. She shares, “I’m very proud of how far I’ve come in just 3 years. Proud of how I’ve made such great connections with the folks in my house, and other folks in the community. It really truly is like my second family. When I’m bored at home, I want to come to work! I love working here and I enjoy everything about it.”
We are grateful for Mellissa’s service, heart, patience, and ambition in providing a high quality of care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When asked what she’s learned while on the job, she says: “We are all humans wanting the same things in life. A lot of the time, I don’t think about their disabilities; I think about them as people. This has been something I’ve learned. We learn about them as they learn about us.”
Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Mellissa!
Interested in a career that changes lives? Visit our Careers page to view our open positions.