Sarah Littlefield, M.Ed.

Sarah Littlefield, executive director and co-founder of Townsend Learning Center 34 years ago, has seen her vision come to fruition: A learning center for children and adults where each person's unique gifts are recognized, where their barriers to learning are seen as opportunities to grow, to overcome, and to thrive in lifelong learning settings. In the last ten years, the highly individualized learning center programs have expanded to help disabled adults and injured workers return to challenging, high tech work environments. 

Sarah is proud to offer services to individuals who live or work in downtown Cleveland, Akron, or Toledo.  Townsend Learning Center is known throughout Northeast Ohio as the place to go for solutions to learning problems and the anxiety they cause.

Linda Malik, M.Ed.

Linda Malik has worked with Townsend over the past 14 years.  She has a master’s degree in education from Case Western Reserve and extensive training and experience in learning disabilities and psycho educational assessment.  Her experience includes teaching and assessing middle and high school, public and private school students, developing programs for the learning disabled, training teachers, teaching at the college level, and serving in a staff position in learning assessment at the Cleveland Clinic.

Linda has utilized her skills to develop, supervise and teach in all of our programs for adults. In addition, she provides assessment services.

Van Bray, M.Ed.

Van has eighteen years of experience designing, teaching, and managing effective curriculum and learning environments for adults.  His work includes university, adult basic, adult vocational, computer technology, and assistive technology.

Van holds an Ohio teaching license, a B.A. in education, and an M.Ed. in Adult Learning and Development.  

Tricia Beach

Tricia is the coordinator and  instructor in our Akron facility. Her experience is in computer and clerical skills instruction as well as working with students to refine their work habits, build their stamina, and improve their self-confidence.

Tricia is familiar with the goals of utilizing a work adjustment program to help injured or disabled workers return to work.  Her goal in education is to help the individual prepare to be competitive in today’s job market. 

“In a short time, a TownsendWorks student is able to gain real-world office skills that will prepare them for a career.  Our curriculum is diverse and we can curtail it to meet specific job requirements in the industry.”

Joe Ortenzi

Joseph A. Ortenzi, MA, CRC, as the senior counseling psychologist, provided vocational rehabilitation services to disabled veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs.  In 1998, he established Skills Enrichment Group, Inc. to provide vocational rehabilitation services that focused on return-to-work issues.  Services include: case management, vocational evaluations, vocational exploration, transitional skills assessment, vocational consulting, and transitional employment services.  In addition, he provides vocational consulting to a pain management program and an industrial rehabilitation program.

Brett Salkin

Brett is a certified case manager and counselor, and executive director of Salkin Vocational Services. His company has long-term relationships with the Veterans Administration and the Bureau of Workers Compensation.  Brett has offered vocational counseling, rehabilitation consulting, and placement to many disabled and injured workers, and has been instrumental in helping us develop our work adjustment program here at TownsendWorks.  Before Brett started his own Vocational Services’ company, he worked at several mental health agencies, including Mental Health Services NW, CIT Mental Health Services. He has taught courses at CSU and Cincinnati Technical College .  Brett received a master’s degree at theUniversity of  Cincinnati and his B.A. from CSU.