Terrance Harris
Director of Residential Services
Terrance has deep roots with Opengate. He started his career with the agency in the late 80s as a vocational counselor within the workshop program, where he provided vocational training. In addition, he worked as an Opengate job coach for people who gained competitive employment at IBM’s food service department. During this time, he also served as a direct support professional within Opengate’s intermediate care facilities and was eventually promoted to manage the agency’s first community residence, Frankel.
Terrance’s mother used to work at Opengate as a teacher and would tell him stories about the people Opengate supports, which inspired him to apply for his first job there. He shares,
“I found my passion for service while working in a direct support capacity and that is still what drives me today. Being able to ensure the people we support lead fulfilling and meaningful lives and that they are happy is what’s important to me—sharing their lives and making sure they are in safe, comfortable environments.”
After several years at Opengate, Terrance moved to New York City, where he continued to support developmentally disabled people in roles of increasing responsibility, including as a field supervisor, overseeing habilitative services provided to people within their homes; as a coordinator of operations, overseeing residences and supervising residence managers; and as a director of residential operations. In 2015, he moved to Putnam County and rejoined the Opengate team.
Terrance now oversees Opengate’s residential programs. He supervises, coaches, and empowers staff to succeed both for the people they support and for their own career growth, including creating pathways to promotion. Terrance strives to convey a message of support to staff and let them know he will assist them in any way, shape, or form, which sometimes includes providing direct support, washing dishes in a residence, and doing anything needed to care for the residents. He says,
“Our direct support staff are the backbone of what we do. Part of feeling respected is being heard and I routinely ask how they are doing and what we can improve.”
Credentials
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, Western Connecticut State University