If you have ever called VIA’s James C. Hormel School, you have probably spoken to Jesseth Baul. Jesseth is the Administrative Coordinator for School Services, or as one of her colleagues put it, “School Services Superwoman.”
Jesseth runs the front office at the Westwood campus in Charlottesville and assists the administrative team with the day-to-day school operations from correspondence and record management to planning school events. She is a familiar face and voice to students, parents, and school district partners, as well as a helpful resource for VIA’s classroom staff.
She has a great understanding of what our classroom staff does each day, because from 2016-2019 she worked as a Registered Behavior Technician and middle school group instructor at Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center (BRAAC) in Lynchburg. BRAAC and VIA are now one entity, as part of VIA’s recent merger with SVH Services. “The merger is really full circle for our organizations, but it is also kind of full circle for me,” said Jesseth, “Not only is the work we are doing the same, using the same evidence-based practices, but our mission and motivation are the same. The passion the staff has for the work that we do and our willingness to think outside the box and adapt to meet the changing individual needs of our students and consumers are consistent across both.”
VIA and SVH Services have been on parallel paths for years. VIA founders helped advise SVH Services founders on getting their school off the ground, and the two organizations have maintained a collaborative relationship ever since, ultimately making the decision in 2022 to merge into one stronger organization.
Learn more about the merger, and watch a video highlighting the founding stories of VIA and SVH Services and our plan for a bright future here.