Jeffrey Winner, MSEd ’05

Director of the Structured Day Program at Compassionate Care, Endicott, NY

Jeffrey Winner (JW), MSEd ’05, began his career after UNE as a special education teacher and has since found a passion for helping individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) integrate back into their daily lives and communities. He is currently the Director of the Structured Day Program at Compassionate Care, Endicott, NY. Jeffrey draws on his experience as an educator and poet to enrich his current work. We recently caught up with Jeffrey to discuss how his experiences at UNE have shaped his life and career.

What’s your favorite aspect of UNE?

JW: My favorite aspect of UNE is the online approach to classroom learning with the same one-on-one opportunity to connect with a variety of professors. I was able to easily to ask questions, seek advice, and be creative in portfolios, presentations, and research.

What was your favorite non-major course/activity?

JW: My favorite non-major activity was being selected and published in UNE’s Zephyr literary collections for two years. I was honored to have been selected through hundreds of student submission from a variety of departments and majors.

How has poetry/the humanities impacted your education, career and personal life?

JW: I believe that poetry has connected me over the last 17 years to diverse communities. Some of these being national or global academic groups, the LGTBQ community and spiritual groups. It has even allowed new and past acquaintances into areas of my life I normally would not have shared.

Poetry and humanities encouraged me to continue my education at UNE, become certified, teach special education, and led me to my valued work in the communities of developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. I know that my passion for the arts, and more importantly people as a whole, was hidden for many years before my college career began. Attending a community college, four-year university and UNE gave me the opportunity to allow that part of me to flourish.

What are some of your favorite/most proud moments from your time as a student?

JW: One of my favorite moments was meeting Professor Mark DeFazio whom became a close friend of mine. He was the reason I continued my studies after my best friend passed away in 2004. He never stopped encouraging me and I made to the decision to continue my studies at UNE. I believe that has impacted me greatly in the last 17 years of my journey.

How did you wind up in your current position at Compassionate Care?

JW: Following a short special education career as a 7th and 8th grade ELA and Math specialist, I tried branching out from public education to become an Independent Life Skills Trainer through the NYS Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Medicaid Waiver Program. I believed it was going to be a summer job and I would return to teaching the next calendar year.

After being asked why someone with a TBI needed this special service I found myself at a crossroads. Because of my experiences as a teacher and now an advocate for these people, I was able to explain that no on asks to be injured, have a stroke, fall down or be assaulted. My role as a provider is to ensure these people have the best care possible to allow them to get back as much of their lives as they can.

Following that experience, I knew working for individuals with a cognitive, progressive and degenerative diagnosis is where I belonged and where I have stayed. As of 2022, I am the Director of the Structured Day Program at Compassionate Care which focuses on reducing isolation and depression for those with TBI and to socialize and integrate more in their local communities.

What projects are you currently working on?

JW: I am currently working on securing two 10 x 12 greenhouses for a long-term project that would connect our day program members with the local community. The plan is to grow fruits and vegetables and donate a portion to the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) for distribution in Broome County New York to combat poverty and food insecurity. The rest would be used in our program for cooking activities.

I am also working with current Binghamton University students to offer internships and volunteer opportunities at Compassionate Care. It is both a short-term and long-term goal to have more individuals have access to volunteerism through our organization to future support our diversity initiatives.

What are your favorite and most challenging parts of your job?

JW: Watching people overcome major obstacles, learning a new skill and becoming more independent is something I love to see on a day to day or yearly basis. These people are growing socially, emotionally and physically through their recovery and rehabilitation journeys.

Do you have any passions or volunteering alongside/outside your position?

JW: I currently volunteer through Broome County Mental Health’s People with Developmental Disability Subcommittee and will become the Vice President of the Board of Director’s for a new 501c3 company in South Carolina specializing in care for adults with dementia and Alzheimers. When able, I also try to volunteer at my hometown church for their monthly fish dinners assisting in the frying station.

What advice would you give current students and new alumni?

JW: My advice is to understand that life changes and with that comes changing career paths. I ask incoming and current students to embrace the windy roads and understand it may difficult at first but it very well could lead you down a path that is fulfilling and is aligned with your passions and gifts.

Is there anything else that you’d like to share with the UNE community?

JW: I credit UNE, the awesome team of professionals, guidance officials, and the college community itself for a having a profound impact on my success not only as a professional but as a person. Had I not entered into UNE’s graduate program I am not certain where my life would have turned out today. I am honored to have graduated with a MSEd from UNE and it will always hold a unique place in my heart and my stories to others on how I came to be where I am today!