Darlene Podolak

DARLENE PODOLAK was promoted to chief operating officer (COO) at Unity House of Cayuga County, Inc. from her previous position as program director. Podolak replaces former COO Paul Joslyn, who left Unity House last summer to become executive director at AccessCNY in Syracuse. Unity House is a nonprofit that provides transitional and permanent housing, rehabilitative, and employment services for individuals with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, and/or chemical dependencies from which they are recovering. Podolak has worked for the agency since 1992, when she was hired as a program manager. She has held various positions, most recently program director, where she oversaw six certified residential programs and three-day habilitation programs serving more than 200 individuals with disabilities in two counties. Podolak managed a “complex” $7 million budget, and supervised a combined team of 160 employees, according to Unity House. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from SUNY-Fredonia, and a master’s degree in management from Keuka College.