James Hathaway is an Area Director for Granite Bay Care. Jim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Southern Maine. Jim joined GBC following thirty-two years of working for the State of Maine in a variety of roles including both program and finance positions.
Following graduation from USM in 1985 Jim sought employment at Pineland Center to attain practical behavioral experience. Jim began working in an entry level position at the Behavior Stabilization Unit (BSU) and discovered his passion to work with this population. Jim was soon hired as a supervisor, followed by a promotion to manager of the unit. The BSU was a short term acute care facility which served as the crisis unit for the State of Maine, specifically for developmentally disabled individuals, who posed a danger to themselves or others. The BSU, was supported by a full clinical team; it was here that Jim learned that a collaborative and consistent team approach are the necessary combination to affect positive behavioral change. In 1992, Pineland Center was in the process of downsizing and moving its residents to less restrictive community settings. Jim worked another eight months as a QMRP/S at Pineland, where he was charged with annual planning, monitoring for individuals residing in two residential units, as well as the supervision of staff within those units.
In October 1993, Jim was hired as an Individual Support Coordinator in the Region I Office located in Portland, for the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. Jim had a caseload of approximately thirty-five individuals, and he coordinated their services provided by a vast network of community provider agencies. It was during this period, that Jim recognized the importance of providing strong support to the agencies so they could provide better support to the individuals that they served.
From 5/99 to 12/02, Jim worked as a Resource Coordinator and as the Contract Manager for Region I. These experiences provided Jim with a strong working knowledge of the Medicaid Waiver Programs as well as alternative funding sources. These opportunities provided Jim with the knowledge of how different funding streams directly translate to optimal services for individuals.
Jim moved back to the program side of the service delivery system in 12/2002 as a Regional Supervisor. In this capacity, Jim worked with a team of Case Managers who coordinated services provided by a system of community provider agencies. Jim realized that State personnel and the service providers shared the common goal of superior service delivery. He accordingly focused his efforts towards supporting his staff, allowing them to support the agencies which consistently yielded improved service to the individuals. In addition, strong working relationships were forged with the provider community during this period.
Jim moved to the private sector 3/2018 as an Area Director with Granite Bay Care, and he is appreciative of the opportunity to work for people with developmental disabilities from a different perspective. Jim hopes to continue his efforts to support teams, which will assist individuals served by Granite Bay Care to achieve their maximum potential.