Bridgeway has announced the hiring of two employees whose main focus will be to increase the visibility of Bridgeway within the community and to expand its business initiatives. Keri Dodson is the new Community Engagement Director and Monquiz Wedlow will step into the newly added role of Vice President of Business Development. Keri will oversee direct public relations efforts, community event-planning, and the creation of promotional materials for Bridgeway. Monquiz will oversee the evaluation of community and consumer needs, the promotion of partnership goals and growth, and the identification of opportunities for new business proposals and service expansion.
Keri comes to Bridgeway from Western Illinois University, where she was a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team, as well as an assistant to the Marketing department. Prior to her time at Western Illinois University, she served as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Rockford Rivets baseball team. While there, she played an integral role in increasing average attendance from 700 to 1,500 fans in her last season with the organization. Additionally, she planned concerts, events, and camps while creating promotional schedules, materials, and appearances to further highlight the team. Keri is a 2018 graduate of Monmouth College, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Communication Studies. Additionally, she is a 2021 graduate of Western Illinois University, obtaining her Masters of Science in Sport Management.
Monquiz has ten years of hospital senior management experience, where he focused on business development, team-building and cultivating partnerships within the healthcare communities around the United States. He specialized in mental health and substance abuse operations and worked with senior management to look at all aspects of free-standing psychiatric hospitals’ procedures and protocols. Monquiz got his work ethic “from great coaches who pushed him to be his best self” at Michigan State University, where he graduated as a football student-athlete. He is looking forward to bringing new ideas to Bridgeway, as well as creating community value-based relationships to the Bridgeway family.
Bridgeway, Inc. provides comprehensive health and human services to a wide range of consumers across Galesburg, Monmouth, Macomb, Pekin, Kewanee, Normal, and Loves Park. Bridgeway’s programs and services reflect the diversity of human service needs within the communities served, among 20 counties in Illinois. Bridgeway’s three core programs are Behavioral Health Services, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities Services, and Community and Center-Based Employment Opportunities for people with disabilities. Bridgeway’s roughly 600 dedicated staff serve approximately 10,000 individuals each year.
***Report Courtesy of Bridgeway***
