Portage DD Board Extends Superintendent, John Vennetti

The Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities on Wednesday voted to extend John Vennetti’s employment contract an additional four years effective January 1, 2022. This extension will run through December 2025. The vote was unanimous. 

Vennetti, an employee of Portage DD for eleven years, was named Interim Superintendent on December 18, 2019, and was appointed Superintendent on April 15, 2020.

As noted by the Board, “John’s leadership as Superintendent has positively impacted both the services Portage DD currently offers and the vision we have for future services. John’s job performance over the last two years as Superintendent has led the Board to approach him regarding an extension of his employment contract. With this extension and salary increase, John will rank 35th statewide among DD Superintendents and 10th among the 12 DD Superintendents that comprise Northeast Ohio. We appreciate the great work John has done and are delighted he will be here to guide our program for years to come.”

John joined Portage DD in October 2010 as a Service and Support Administrator. He was promoted to Service and Support Administration Supervisor in 2014 and was later promoted to Director of Service and Support Administration in March 2018.  

Prior to his employment with Portage DD, John worked for the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Valley Counseling Services, and the Trumbull County Jail. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, and a Master of Education in Community Counseling, both from Youngstown State University.