Project Opportunity

Program Director

Terrell Smith is Director of Project Opportunity. She received her undergraduate degree at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama,and her graduate degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Terrell began her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse at The Children’s Hospital of Alabama, and she has served in Brazil as a PeaceCorps volunteer. She has held leadership positions at Children’s Hospital of Alabama, and Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans.She was at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for thirteen years with primary responsibility for the inpatient units. While at Children’s Hospital, she secured a state establishment grant to develop the Project Opportunity Program. In 2005, Terrell was recruited into a new position to focus on the development of a patient and family-centered strategy for the adult hospital and to expand Project Opportunity.

Program Coordinator

Educational Coordinator

Tomika Marks is the Educational Coordinator at Project Opportunity. She develops curriculum and facilitates classroom instruction of pertinent topics ranging from hospital policies and procedures to professional behavior. In addition, she provides job coaching support to the interns, maintains relationships with collaborating departments, and serves as a primary parent contact.  Tomika comes to Project Opportunity from South Carolina. She is a 2001 Graduate of Voorhees College in Denmark, SC where she received a Bachelors degree in Sociology. She has worked as a Community Base Service Worker and Early Interventionist with young and school aged children with developmental disabilities. She lives in Madison with her husband, Justin, and two children; Kennedi, 4 and Peyton,17months old.

Employment Coordinator

Michelle Halman has a variety of experience working with people with different disabilities. Graduating from Middle Tennessee State University in 1995 with a Major in Psychology and Minors in English and Sociology, Michelle worked with a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program teaching job skills and later headed the Employment Placement program to assist adults with chronic and persistent mental illnesses in achieving gainful employment. After recognizing the need for therapists who concentrate on behavior modification, Michelle began her career as a Department of Mental Retardation Approved Behavior Specialist. Project Opportunity lured her back to the employment side of things. Project Opportunity has been a great opportunity for Michelle to utilize all the skills and experience she has acquired through the years.

Job Coach

Zachary Stred comes to Project Opportunity from sunny southern California, where he attended Vanguard University. With a background in Applied Behavior Analysis as a DTT tutor, Zac serves as Project Opportunity's Job Coach. He serves in a variety of roles including work-site follow along, assisting the Educational Coordinator with classroom duties, assisting the Employment Coordinator with follow up for graduates who have gained employment, and providing travel training for interns and employees.