Johanna Villa-Gomez is an Area Manager for the Day Program at Project Independence (PI). She came to PI 17 years ago. What do you do in your spare time? I enjoy traveling and exploring new places. I like riding my bike, drawing, and writing. My happy place is spending time with family and friends. What drives you / motivates you to help others? Helping others has always been in my nature, it aligns with my personal values, and I genuinely enjoy helping others and building social connections while doing so.   What’s your favorite thing about working at PI? Working ...

It’s hard to remember a time in my public relations career when I wasn’t associated with Project Independence. I know I’m a better person for it. The experience began one afternoon in the 1980s, when I was asked by my boss to sit in for him at a meeting with a nonprofit organization called the Vantage Foundation. The rest is history, as the saying goes. Back then it was housed at Rae Community Center in Costa Mesa. Its mission was to provide quality support services for people with the most significant developmental disabilities. There I joined the board of directors ...