Please join us in congratulating Samantha Macio, the recipient of the October Staff on the Rise recognition! Sam has been with RISE for seven years and was recently promoted to the Adult Care Management Supervisor. During her time with RISE Sam worked as a counselor at Progressive Steps Apartment Program (PSAP), as an Adult Care Manager including specializing at first with Health and Recovery Plans (HARP) participants and then with Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) participants. Most recently she worked as a Community Outreach Court Coordinator and was instrumental in the creation of the Saratoga Springs Community Outreach Court.
“Sam’s positive attitude is infectious to everyone around her.”
Erika Straight, Care Management Program Director says, “it is honestly hard to explain how integral Sam is to the Care Management Program. She plays a crucial role in both Care Management and the agency’s success. Sam has a wonderful work ethic and a positive attitude that is infectious to everyone around her. I am always impressed by how Sam treats everyone with the same respect. Sam genuinely embodies the agency’s mission and our core values in everything she does and inspires us all to do the same!”
“I know how crucial it is for the team to have support.”
As the Adult Care Management Supervisor, Sam’s duties include coordinating the billing, managing crisis, providing support, supervising the Adult Senior Care Managers, offering them guidance in the supervision of the rest of the Adult Care Management team, and assuming a leadership role in both the weekly staff meeting and the weekly leadership meeting. Sam is excited about all these new responsibilities particularly about providing support to the Care Management team, “having worked as a Care Manager, I know how crucial it is for the team to have support. I look forward to providing the best guidance and support that I can.” Additionally, Sam is especially pleased that the position allows her to continue to provide direct services to individuals working with Care Management. “I always want to be able to continue to work with the individuals we serve because I know that assisting with even the smallest task can be life changing for someone in need,” she explains.
“I want to help others manage life’s struggles and challenges.”
Sam has a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Mount Saint Mary College. While in college she worked as a counselor in a community residence for women with development disabilities. Once she graduated, she sought out a job working in the mental health field and was offered a position as a counselor in PSAP. Sam shares that she has always wanted to work in the mental health field, “as a teenager I had to manage several personal struggles which lead to feelings of isolation and hopelessness. Now that I am able, I want to help others manage life’s struggles and challenges, so they do not have to suffer the feelings of isolation that I did.”
Erika concurs that Sam’s experiences and motivation help her excel in this field and says, “I find it incredible how Sam is always able to overcome any obstacle that is thrown her way with both coworkers and the individuals we serve.”
Hard work, a good education, and dedication to a career were values that Sam grew up with which helped form her strong personal work ethic. “My mom was very organized, so that is where I get my organizational and time management skills from,” Sam shares. “And my dad was always focused on doing well with his work and his career. I grew up with the expectations that I would go to college and start a career, which is what I did.”
“I always want to work in the mental health field and be able to provide direct services to the individuals we serve in some capacity.”
To help her unwind and relax when she is not at work, Sam enjoys baking, riding her bike, kayaking, spending time with her wife, and taking care of their dog, Buzz, and their cat, Sven. She and her wife have been together for seven years and recently celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary. Sam shares, “we really are just homebodies, but I do enjoy my daily walks with Buzz and getting out to ride my bike on the trails in Lake George.”
Sam is looking forward to learning and growing in her new role in as the Adult Care Management Supervisor. Her career goals center around remaining in the mental health field and helping others. “I look forward to the opportunities that are coming as RISE expands and grows as an agency,” she shares. “I know that I always want to work in the mental health field and be able to provide direct services to the individuals we serve in some capacity.”
RISE Administration is appreciative of Sam’s hard work and dedication. She is highly motivated, compassionate, and dedicated, all the qualities of a Staff on the Rise. Please join us in congratulating her for being the recipient of the October Staff on the Rise recognition.