“St. Joe’s is a great place to work, because you get to help the kids, and it is a positive workplace.”
Amy Edelen is the Director of Plant Operations at St. Joe’s. “St. Joe’s is a great place to work, because you get to help the kids, and it is a positive workplace.” Amy Edelen, Director of Plant Operations at St. Joe’s, is the relentless problem-solver who fixes what’s broken. From taking off shower heads to working with HVAC contractors, Amy has a knack for managing heavy duty tasks at a moment’s notice.
Amy, her wife Jessica and their son Gus. She reveals that one of her specialties is repairing door knobs. “If it was a different time or place, I would be some type of old school locksmith. We have these $350 locks that are on the cottage bedroom doors, and I figured out how they were breaking, so now I just buy a $60 part to repair them rather than buying a new door knob.” Amy, who has been with the organization for seven years, began working in a woodshop as a college student. Later, she worked as a bellhop at the Brown Hotel but transferred to their maintenance department. “A lot of what I know is self-taught…I have four 2-inch how-to books at home.”
The job is demanding, but she says coming home to her 4-year-old son Gus is the perfect ending to a busy workday. She and her wife Jessica adopted him in 2018. Amy describes him as being a sweet and fun child who loves his stuffed animals. “I tell him: ‘Oh you are so brave, and he will say, no I’m not. I am just a little boy.’”
The job is demanding, but she says coming home to her 4-year-old son Gus is the perfect ending to a busy workday. She and her wife Jessica adopted him in 2018. Amy describes him as being a sweet and fun child who loves his stuffed animals. “I tell him: ‘Oh you are so brave, and he will say, no I’m not. I am just a little boy.’” Previously, Amy worked in maintenance at Maryhurst and says she has always “had a big heart for nonprofit work.” “My dad was a social worker and my mom was a teacher. They instilled the importance of social justice and equality in me, so I have always been driven toward serving and helping people.”
Aside from repairing what’s broken, a typical day for Amy involves answering multiple phone calls, paying bills and managing the maintenance budget. When she applied for the job of maintenance supervisor at St. Joe’s, Amy had no experience in a supervisory role and was nervous. “I didn’t know how to be a manager, and it can be difficult to tell people what to do.” But she says Debbie Turner, Chief Operating Officer at St. Joe’s, was instrumental in helping her gain more confidence in a managerial position. “She guided me through meetings, difficult conversations you have to have as a manager and gave me moral support.” Working at St. Joe’s, Amy says, has been rewarding, because she can use her skills to contribute to the community in a meaningful way. Want to become part of the SJ team? Apply for one of our open positions.