Gene O’Brien was born in Ethiopia, Africa while his parents were stationed there in the military then he moved to Ketchikan when he was just 3 years old. After growing up in Ketchikan, he spent about 10 years in Anchorage, then a few years in Oregon, but eventually made his way back to the town he was raised in, Ketchikan.
Gene initially connected with Community Connections through the ELP program when his son was a baby and eventually entered into the SDS program. His wife joined the board because of what CC did for them and their son, and while attending a CC Christmas party, he was talking with a CMH staff about their program, felt intrigued and decided to apply for a Mental Health Associate position because he wanted to help kids through their struggles and get a leg up in life. That was in 2005 and here we are coming up on Gene’s 20-year work anniversary!!
While working in the Children’s Mental Health Program as a Mental Health Associate, he would find himself in situations with some of the kiddos that mirrored some situations that he had during his own upbringing, so he had tools to help them though some of the trials they were facing. Gene says, “This was the first time my own circumstances were useful in my life, and it often brought tears to my eyes and made my heart soar. I felt like I was a force for good in the world.” In his current job as our IT Systems Coordinator, he enjoys the diversity of projects that consistently change and at times he gets to obsessively organize information and agency assets.
The biggest challenge for him was learning patience. Gene says, “The job forced me to see people in a different light, those who struggled, taught me a lot about them, and as a result taught me how to be patient with many other people outside the world of Community Connections. Later, it allowed me to take on different jobs within the company that required exactly those skills, and those perspectives. I still struggle with it, but it is a very different creature for me then what it was for me earlier in life.”
Gene is a self-proclaimed gaming nerd. He loves building stories, writing, and the art that follows it and loves expressing it through roleplaying games. His two favorite roleplaying games being Dungeons & Dragons and Shadowrun. He finds that it’s a far better hobby for him than bowling, cards or old mainstays. He says, “It teaches me, it challenges me, it brings me closer to my family, and I hope it will let me leave a small mark on the world when I leave.”
According to Gene’s supervisor, Tony, “Gene loves to solve problems, and is one of the most helpful and generous people I know. He is always ready to troubleshoot and will go out of his way to lend a hand. I sometimes need to remind him that it is ok to say no. lol.”
Thank you, Gene for being such a go-getter and your on-going commitment to Community Connections and those we serve!
