Lisa Pote, MSSW
Alumni Council Chair
Lisa Pote received her BS in Family and Community Services from Syracuse University and her MSSW from UT in 1997. Pote currently works as the Executive Director at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia, PA.
Social Work Job Duties:
The Beck Institute is a nonprofit entity with the mission to improve lives worldwide through excellence in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. As such, I am responsible for the strategic and business operations of all aspects of Beck Institute. This includes setting the direction of the organization, developing the budget, ensuring we are offering quality services and oversee the growing staff.
Other experience:
Senior Vice President, Seedco Midsouth Office (Memphis), Director of Consulting, Center for Nonprofit Management (Nashville), Director of Community Services, Nashville Career Advancement Center (Nashville)
Why did you become a social worker:
I’m not sure I ever became a social worker because I honestly think I was born one. I was raised to “repair the world” from an early age and over time took on the fight for others.
What is the best part of being a social worker:
The best part of being a social worker, to me, is knowing that I make a difference every day. I’m so blessed to match my work with my social justice orientation, and knowing I do so and that what I do matters to people, is beyond satisfying.
What is the biggest challenge:
I think the biggest challenge of being a social worker is in choosing our battles. Today, especially, there are so many ways the world and the people in it are hurting, that it often feels like we’re trying to bail out a rowboat faster than the water coming in. While it might seem impossible to do so, figuring out which challenges to take on, to focus on above all else, is necessary for so many reasons. We can find wins that way, gain strength from those successes and live to fight another day.
Who or what is your inspiration:
My mother is my inspiration. She is so wise, so smart, so adaptable, and ALWAYS puts other people first. She has always believed in me, in the best of me, and I would be grateful to be that person for others every day until I die.
What is your self-care routine:
For self-care, I do things that take me out of my own space and frame of mind. I work out vigorously, both cardio and weight training. I also cook… I’m pretty mediocre, but following a recipe is therapeutic for me. Lastly, I keep close touch with friends and family – these relationships are everything to me.
What do you love about being a UTCSW Alum:
I love being a UTCSW alum because I get to represent the best of what social work education can mean. I got my MSW 10 years after a career in business, and found a way to merge my for-profit experience with non-profit and governmental work. I make a point to tell people where I got my degree, and draw a direct line from that education to my global work today. I will forever be grateful for my UTCSW education.
If you had to choose one social work value as most important from the Code of Ethics, which one would you choose and why?
It’s hard to choose which one social work value is important above all the others, and matters the most to me. But if I had to choose, I’d go with INTEGRITY. Integrity is at the core of who I am, and the key to the believability of all I’m trying to accomplish as a leader. People who know and work with me, know I’ll do everything in my power to keep my promises, to keep my word, and look to others to do what they say.
Other things we should know about you:
I shoot pool. I’ve been doing it since I was a child, and can still throw down as an adult. And it’s something I enjoy so much!