“Dedicated, innovative, compassionate.” That’s how colleagues at PRIDE Industries describe former job coach and current Director of Rehabilitation Tameka Rich. And it’s these qualities that make her such an outstanding leader.
Tameka began her journey at PRIDE Industries in 2007 as a coach, working to ensure the success and independence of employees with disabilities. In that role, she provided on-the-job support to employees, helping them perform tasks and meet customer and contract requirements. She also ensured that employees with disabilities had the accommodations they needed to do their jobs well.
As someone with a disability herself, Tameka felt a personal connection to the role. It provided her the opportunity to help others with disabilities find and sustain meaningful employment. Her work as a job coach not only allowed her to grow professionally but also made a lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of individuals.
“Knowing our voices belong moves us to overcome challenges and realize the possibilities of what we can achieve.”
“I’ve always enjoyed making things work more efficiently,” she says. “When I got my dream job—helping people with disabilities succeed in employment—I decided to make everything run as smoothly as possible for the people I was helping.”
A Growing Career in Advocacy
Tameka’s natural leadership abilities quickly became apparent as she advanced within PRIDE Industries. After five years as a Job Coach she became a Rehabilitation Services Supervisor, where she introduced innovative documentation processes that saved job coaches valuable time and allowed them to focus more on support for individuals with disabilities. These efficiencies reduced program costs, increased referrals, and expanded PRIDE Industries’ reach.
“Tameka likes to think outside the box,” says Diana Erickson, her former supervisor. “Under her leadership, documentation became more robust, yet less time-consuming. And, to top it all off, she’s a great mentor to job coaches.”
After just a couple of years, and with a newly obtained business degree, Tameka stepped into her next role—HR Disability Case Manager. In this new role, she continued to develop her expertise in disability employment, managing accommodations and service provisions to fuel the mission of PRIDE Industries internally, and finding ways to increase overall inclusion. Tameka was able to leverage her relationships and professional community partnerships to increase the direct hiring of people with disabilities, implement efficient accommodation management techniques, and create long-term employment opportunities on commercial contracts across the Northern California region.
Job Coach to Director
Today, Tameka serves as PRIDE Industries’ Director of Rehabilitation for Commercial Contracts, overseeing a team of vocational rehabilitation counselors and job coaches. She has drawn upon her years as a job coach, supervisor and HR disability case manager, to enhance collaboration across departments, improve service delivery, and continue to help people with disabilities find and retain employment.
Her work doesn’t stop there. As the founding chair of People of Possibilities (POP), PRIDE Industries’ Employee Resource Group (ERG) for people with diverse abilities, she ensures that employees with disabilities have a voice within the company.
“Knowing our voices belong, moves us to overcome challenges and realize the possibilities of what we can achieve,” says Tameka.
Outside of work, she is a certified sickle cell health educator and an active advocate within the rare disease community, volunteering her time as a mentor and legislative advocate.
Her leadership and passion have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, Careers & the disABLED Magazine recognized Tameka as Employee of the Year, a testament to her 20-plus years of advocating for people with disabilities.
Tameka believes in paying it forward. “People with disabilities can support our own community,” she says. “When hiring, I ask myself: ‘Who has an inherent passion for what we do and the drive to make a difference?’”
Her answer is clear: those who, like her, are committed to making the world more inclusive, one opportunity at a time.
