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The University has promoted September Johnson to Director of the Office of Health Education (WesWell) as of Tuesday, Nov. 1. Johnson started working at WesWell as the Alcohol and Other Drug Specialist in June 2020, she and took over as interim director in summer 2020 following the departure of former Director Patrick Gordon.
Johnson has been involved in health education since the beginning of her professional career. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in public health from the State University of New York at Albany, Johnson worked at her alma mater and at Wellesley College in similar positions to those she has occupied at Wesleyan. Shortly before coming to WesWell, Johnson was working towards a master’s degree in public health at Boston University.
Johnson emphasized that her work in other positions at WesWell will be instrumental in informing her in the directorial position.
“Since the fall of 2020, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many incredible students, staff, offices, and student groups on campus, and I am excited to continue growing these relationships and collaborations to better serve our community,” Johnson wrote in an email to The Argus. “I hope to offer an easier transition for our community during this change after our office has had so much turnover over the past couple of years.”
Despite Johnson holding the interim director position, the University chose to conduct a formal search process led by Director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Jennifer D’Andrea. Johnson’s experience consisted of a day-long interview with the search team, colleagues at the University, and Wesleyan students, as well as a meeting with Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Rick Culliton.
Johnson noted that her work as interim director often felt like it blended together with the ongoing search process.
“It felt like my interview for the position was actually happening over the course of the semester, not just the formal interviews with the search teams,” Johnson wrote.
WesWell Mental Health Educator Chelsie Green expressed confidence in Johnson’s capabilities as she assumes the role of director, mentioning her administrative skills, as well as her general charisma and attitude about the work.
“September was a welcoming presence even just from a virtual perspective [when I started at WesWell], but it continued into my actual transition into the role when I arrived at campus in August,” Green wrote in an email to The Argus. “September was also able to handle the alterations in WesWell’s orientation program, which was a huge change, along with WesWell’s absorption of the SHAPE office and the balancing of her role as Interim Director along with her former role as Alcohol & Other Drug Specialist.”
In her capacity as director, Johnson hopes to make significant changes to the way the Peer Health Advocate (PHA) program is run. The PHA program, which allows interested students to be involved with the development and implementation of WesWell’s outreach efforts, is currently a volunteer program. Johnson expressed that one of her goals would be to make this program more equitable.
“Many can’t financially afford to work for free, and are forced to either decline opportunities they would like to pursue or work an additional job to sustain themselves,” Johnson wrote. “I want to make sure the PHA program is representative of our entire campus community, and that the PHAs are compensated for their efforts to better campus so that anyone who wants to help make our campus healthier and safer can join our team. I’m starting to look into ways to make the PHA program a stipend-funded or paid internship program. This is an important step to making WesWell a more equitable office on our campus.”
Johnson noted that many other programs that WesWell has in place have been working extremely well, and she hopes to continue and expand them in her new role. These include Wellness Coaching and other trainings and workshops, the updated WesWell Resource Room, and the Junk Mail program, which delivers safe sex supplies straights to students’ WesBoxes.
“I think it is important to be continuously monitoring and evaluating the programs and services we offer in order to ensure we are providing the best possible care to our community,” Johnson wrote.
As Johnson gets settled into the role, she expressed excitement and optimism about her new position and the opportunities that come with it.
“I’m most excited to keep listening to and hearing from the Wesleyan community,” Johnson wrote. “We can best serve Wes when we know what is on your mind, and we know the health and wellness issues you think are important to focus on. My door is always open to feedback and ideas. Always feel free to reach out to WesWell!”
Leo Bader can be reached at lbader@wesleyan.edu.