West Chester native Javonna Wylie is the Senior Manager of Workforce Reintegration for the Chester County OIC, a Coatesville-based nonprofit that helps disadvantaged adults by creating educational and employment opportunities.
“What I enjoy most is fulfilling our late founder’s mission of ‘Helping People Help Themselves’ by giving people a hand up, not a handout,” she said.
Wylie, who began working when she was 16 years old at Giant, earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Shippensburg University. She credits Joyce Chester, the Chester County OIC’s President, with having the biggest impact on her career.
“Joyce has taught me a lifetime of lessons, not only in how she leads but how she chooses to be each day,” said Wylie. “As a Black woman leading in a predominantly white county, I can say that having her as my guide is a breath of fresh air — an ode to the Black women who have come before us and the ones who will come after her.”
Her proudest professional achievement was recently launching the Work Enclave, a five-week, paid program for Coatesville residents to participate in community cleanup while learning work-readiness skills.
“I am so proud at how the program is progressing, and I am excited for the participants, as well as the community,” said Wylie. “There is so much local business and community involvement that it feels like the collective movement I have always dreamed of.”
Her favorite spots in Chester County are Good, Bad & Ugly and Split Rail Tavern in West Chester.
Wylie and the rest of the 2022 Class of VISTA Millennial Superstars will be honored at the Awards Reception & Celebration held outdoors on Tuesday, May 10 at Penn State Great Valley. The in-person event will feature food trucks, drinks, touchless registration, a VIP tent, and boundless opportunities to network. It will also be live-streamed.
Sponsors are still being sought. Click here to learn more about the various opportunities available to partner with VISTA Today as it celebrates Chester County’s next generation of leaders.
