Eric Millen ’87
“I graduated in 1987 from Providence with a BA in Sociology and a minor in history (thanks to that mandatory class called Western Civilization with which you may be familiar). I started at Providence in 1982 as an Accounting Major and unfortunately had a poor start and needed to leave for a year to improve my grades and began taking courses in Sociology at Framingham State University. One of my proudest moments was when I was accepted back to Providence but this time pursing a degree in Sociology. After graduating in 1987 (the year before Billy Donovan took the Friars to the Final Four!) I took a job in sales through through a friend’s connections. That didn’t work out so well as I was a terrible salesman and was fired after two years.
I then decided to take a job with an agency named Advocates – a human service agency providing supports to people living with Intellectual Disabilities, people living with mental health diagnoses and substance and alcohol abuse as well as outpatient clinics for psychiatry and counseling. I started on Valentine’s Day 1989 as a Direct Support Professional working in a group home providing supports for people living with Intellectual Disabilities – teaching skills to become as independent as possible. I then was promoted to Assistant Manager then to Program Manager. While I as a Program Manager I decided to go get my Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology at Framingham State College (now Framingham University). After graduating this opened up the opportunity to be hired as a Clinical Coordinator then about 5 years later was promoted to Director of Clinical Services for the Developmental Disabilities Residential Division.
This past Valentine’s Day I celebrated my 35th year working at Advocates. Our Agency has now grown from a 2 million dollar agency to a 200 million dollar agency with many more service lines that include providing supports to people living with brain injuries, people re-entering society after being in jail, and many other service lines. It has been a very rewarding career path that all occurred as a result of changing the pursuit of degrees from accounting to sociology way back in 1983.”
Eric Millen ’87 is currently the Director of Clinical Services, Developmental Services Division, at Advocates, Inc.
