Project SEARCH International Leadership Team

Erin Riehle, RN, MSN

Erin is a recognized authority and national leader in promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. She is a founder and Senior Director of Project SEARCH, an employment and transition program that has received national recognition for innovative practices pioneered under Ms. Riehle's guidance. She is regularly invited to present at national and regional conferences, and has co-authored numerous publications and book chapters. She has served on many national committees, such as the Virginia Commonwealth University Business Leadership Roundtable and the Youth to Work Coalition. She is a past board member for the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE). She is also a past member of the Ohio Governor's Council on People with Disabilities. She has gained over $3 million dollars in foundation and agency support for Project SEARCH programs, and has won numerous awards for her work. Notably, Project SEARCH received the U.S. Department of Labor's 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award and was the Inaugural recipient of Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s 2010 James W. Varnum National Quality Award.

Susie Rutkowski, BS, MEd

Susie is the Co-Director and Educational Specialist for Project SEARCH. Susie is a nationally recognized transition expert with specific experience in program development in career technical education and job development for young adults with disabilities. She served as the Manager for Disability Education at Great Oaks Career Campuses for over twelve years. During that tenure she, with Erin Riehle, co-founded Project SEARCH, a program for young adults transitioning from school to work. Susie has been instrumental in designing the Project SEARCH Training Institute modules and leading replication efforts for new Project SEARCH sites. She speaks and writes on transition-related topics.

Susie’s degree in Special Education was received from Bowling Green State University. Her Masters in Educational Administration was received from the University of Dayton and she did post-graduate work at Wright State University and Xavier University. . In addition to her other positions, she taught young students with multi-handicaps for eight years and worked for 10 years as a Job Placement Coordinator for students and graduates with disabilities from Great Oaks.

Gina Surgener, BS, MBA

Regina (Gina) Surgener is the Business Manager for Disability Services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (Project SEARCH, Adaptive Care Team, and Vocational Educational Services). She has 20 years’ experience in various business fields including finance, investments, project management, and human resources. Gina is responsible for all administrative and operations management, including grant and contract operations, direction and oversight of expenses and reporting, and management of divisional budgets and ledgers.

Maryellen Daston, BS, MS, PhD

Maryellen has a background in biomedical research and technical writing. As a Project SEARCH consultant, she is responsible for identifying state and federal funding opportunities and preparing grant applications. Maryellen also contributes to the Project SEARCH website and other communications. Currently, she is working with Erin Riehle and Susie Rutkowski on a book that describes the history, philosophy, and practices of Project SEARCH.

Greg Lynch, BA

Greg has over 17 years of experience working in business, with a specialty in supply chain management. In 2005 the group of employees that he managed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) expanded to include people with disabilities, and through this experience became increasingly interested in Project SEARCH. In March of 2009 he became the Program Coordinator for Project SEARCH. In this role, he acts as the Project SEARCH business liaison for CCHMC, facilitates all of the program tours, and is responsible for all of the accounting for Project SEARCH.  In his free time Greg is very active volunteering in the community. In 2009 he received a National Jefferson Champion Award for his service in the community. He has a degree in Business Administration from Thomas More College.   

Charee Partee

Charee has 24 years’ of experience in the field of health care administration. She has been employed at Cincinnati Children Hospital Medical Center for over 10 years. Her role with Project SEARCH includes providing administrative support for the staff, coordinating tours, and managing logistics for the International Conference. Before coming to Project SEARCH she worked in the Division of Developmental Behavior Pediatrics, which includes The Kelly O'Leary Center—a facility for children with autism.