Being a chef was Mickey Whitesell’s dream job until he started working at Trinity Services with people who have special needs.

His passion for the job recently earned him the distinction of being the National Direct Support Professional of the Year by the American Network of Community Options and Resources. He will be honored April 9th at the ANCOR Connect 2025 Conference in San Diego.

Whitesell, who lives in Elwood, not far from where he grew up in Manhattan, was chosen for the award from more than 500 nominees.

“He’s very humble and patient, and he’s creative,” said Stephanie Behlke Leigh, network director for Trinity Services, who nominated Whitesell. “What sets him apart is he has a huge heart and he is deeply committed every day to providing people of all ability levels, who are going through all types of struggles, a way to connect with the things that are important to him.”

As a direct support professional at Studio 22 in New Lenox, which provides community day services, Whitesell works with dozens of people with intellectual disabilities and/or mental illness, helping them with advocations such as food preparation, brewing pop and specialty colas, gardening, creative writing and sound recording. He also helps with activities such as trips to movies, farmer’s markets, the park and fishing.

He uses “positive psychology” to support the people he works with and “bring joy and meaning to their lives,” explained Leigh.

Leigh said letters of support for Whitesell stressed “how much he’s helped them make the changes in their lives that are important to them.”

But for Whitesell it’s more than just a job. He gets a good feeling from helping participants and even when they can be a challenge, he finds a way to help.

“If someone has problems, I have to listen better … you try to figure out why, if they are sick or sad or just having a bad morning,” he said. “If they’re hungry, they may get upset or if I can figure it out, I can say, ‘Okay, it’s going to get better, try to think of a happy thought.’ If they’re angry at someone, I try to take them away and redirect,” said Whitesell.

His 15 years spent as a chef in Joliet helped prepare him for the job because special needs students from a local high school sometimes came to practice life skills, such as setting the table for customers, doing dishes or getting ice from the bar.

He changed careers amid the pandemic, when there was no longer much of a call for chefs.

“Honestly I just kind of fell into it,” he said of the career change. “I fell in love with it.”

“They’re all their own personalities, some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They’re so caring and really do want to learn to do better.”

That also makes Whitesell want to keep coming back and improve his skills.

He said the weeklong training for the job included CPR, learning different teaching techniques and mulling over instructions for the interactions he would have with people. There’s also yearly retraining for the job.

He still gets to cook, too, after work but also when teaching the attendees, who range in age from their 20s to their 70s.

“People are always looking up to you,” he said. “It’s their reactions when they’re happy, when they’re like ‘Thank you so much’ or come and give you a big hug,” Whitesell said.

Whitesell said he was surprised when he learned that he was getting the award.

“I thought it was a joke or maybe they just drew my name out of a hat,” said Whitesell. “Then when it hit me, it was very overwhelming and I was super gracious.”

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.