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Nashville Field Awards

The Nashville campus recently held its Field Educator Appreciation Lunch where several field students and instructors were recognized for their service and leadership.

Jared Seth Landers, Nashville EBIP Concentration Student of the Year
Presented by Kristy Rolls, Cumberland Heights

Seth Landers received the award for his outstanding performance in his Evidence-Based Interpersonal Practice (EBIP) concentration field placement at Cumberland Heights. Landers has demonstrated flexibility, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to client needs throughout field. He prioritizes anti-oppressive practice and social work values in his work. When nominating Seth for this award, Kristy Rolls shared, “Seth is hardworking, loved by our team, great with clients, always willing to try new things with some guidance and has a good ethical foundation. Seth is so great, we hired him! He steps up when needed with enthusiasm. He’s a joy! He has the social work spirit.”


Therese Sipes, Nashville Generalist Student of the Year
Nominated by Kimberly Fyke Vance at TN Voices

Therese Sipes received the award for her outstanding performance in her generalist field placement at TN Voices. Sipes consistently demonstrated initiative, professionalism, and a dedication to social work values during field. Her field instructor Kimberly Fyke-Vance said, “Therese is the embodiment of a Social Worker. She is dedicated, hardworking, and curious. She is compassionate, helpful, and kind. She uses her lived experience appropriately, and has a great understanding of boundaries in this work. Therese has been a dream to work with, and her presence will be missed, but her impact will last a long time.”


David Hollis, Nashville Online Generalist Student of the Year
Presented by Kate Ferrell, Siloam Family Health

David Hollis received the award for his outstanding performance in his generalist field placement at Siloam Family Health Center. Hollis’ field instructor Kate Ferrell said, “It has been an honor to work alongside David this past year as he faithfully served the patients of Siloam Health. He possesses traits that cannot be taught, including wisdom, thoughtfulness, and humility. David arrived at Siloam as an experienced professional, so to be honest, I was not sure how much I would be able to teach him. However, part of the beauty of being at Siloam is learning from the experiences and insights of our patients. I enjoyed watching David interact with kindness and compassion. He is confident in his skills and at the same time knows when to ask for help when needed. Working with David allowed me grow as a professional and become more informed about important advocacy and social justice issues. His time at Siloam has helped improve and refine the field placement experience at Siloam for our future social work students. David truly became part of our staff team. During his last few days of field placement as he was telling people goodbye, one of our newer staff members was confused. She thought David was a staff member and asked why he was leaving so soon. I am now proud to call David my colleague and am honored to present him with field student of the year award.”


Janet Gilmore, Nashville Organizational Leadership Field Placement Student of the Year
Presented by Rachel Cook, Metro Homeless Impact Division

Janet Gilmore is receiving this award for her outstanding performance in her organizational leadership concentration field placement with the Metro Homeless Impact Division. When nominating Janet for this award, I shared, “During Janet’s internship at the Metro Homeless Impact Division, there have been significant changes to the division’s leadership structure and staff makeup. Janet has…offered valuable insight and support in the many transition activities that have occurred, drawing from her own professional experience. In the midst of change, Janet has taken the lead on several projects, including supporting the work of the Consumer Advisory Board, the Equity and Diversity Committee, and the community’s Strategic Plan edits. These projects are critical pieces of moving the community’s work forward. Janet is well-respected and well-liked in our office and in the greater homelessness services community. Both her own professional experiences and her quick understanding of the intricacies of the Continuum of Care in Nashville are extremely beneficial to the conversation. Not only has Janet digested an immense amount of information about the system and network of services here in Nashville, but she has used that understanding to contribute meaningful insights to the community… It has been an honor to get to know her and see how her work has improved our city’s coordination to end homelessness.”


Olivia Seay, Nashville Online Organizational Leadership Student of the Year
Presented by Meredith Jaulin, Shower the People

Olivia Seay’s Field Instructor Meredith Jaulin said “Olivia has been an exceptional intern with Shower The People. She has helped us create systems, procedures, and policies that will help us create a solid foundation to grow our programs. She also has helped us secure thousands of dollars, including helping us secure a grant for an event company to host our fundraising event, which is projected to raise $100k for our organization. Honestly the hardest part of having Olivia intern with us, is knowing that she already has a full-time job that she loves. I feel so strongly about Olivia that we will be offering her a spot on our board at the close of her internship.”


Kristen Keefer, Nashville Online Organizational Leadership Student of the Year
Presented by Karen Franklin, NASW, TN branch

Kristen Keefer completed her organizational leadership internship this year with NASW, Tennessee Chapter. Her Field Instructor Karen Franklin said “Olivia has been an outstanding intern and I look forward to the future contributions Kristen will make to the social work profession. Her accomplishments at NASW, Tennessee Chapter will have a lasting impact. These included implementing new Voter Voice advocacy software that will allow the chapter to better engage members in systemic advocacy; and revising and editing a new Tennessee Social Work Snapshot. NASW-TN has two staff members and our interns are crucial members of our team. During her internship, Kristen took a leadership role in responding to calls from NASW-TN members and other Tennessee social workers with questions related to licensure, continuing education, and social work practice. She also facilitated university participation in Social Work Day on the Hill that was attended by over 500 social work students, faculty, and professionals. In addition to being a crucial team member, Kristen also demonstrated a commitment to maximizing her learning experience while at NASW-TN. She developed the most detailed supervision agendas I have ever reviewed and discussed. She also engaged in national NASW Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities and other NASW national/chapter meetings.”


Katie Fey, Field Instructor Rising Star Award
Nominated by Field Intern Sean Marie Hart

Katie Fey’s Field Intern Sean Marie Hart said, “As an instructor, Katie has been organized and supportive from the very beginning, providing opportunities to learn through resources, shadowing, supervision and practicing skills. While a school setting can prove to be a challenging and demanding environment, Katie models balancing supporting students, teachers and families in proactive and reactive ways. Even as an instructor, Katie approaches conversations with a curiosity and kindness that is unmatched. Truly Katie Fey embodies what it means to a great be social worker. She consistently finds creative ways to serve students in a way that meets them exactly where they are in life. She’s put time and energy into learning fluent Spanish in an effort to provide safe and comfortable communication with as many students as possible. She’s the first to be willing to look critically at a scenario and highlight strengths and areas of improvement that can move the school system to caring for students well. I can’t think of a more grounded, driven, compassionate and understanding individual. It’s truly been an honor to learn alongside her.”


Kim Page, Field Instructor of the Year
Nominated by Field Intern Ali Wine

When nominating Kim Page for this award, Ali Wine said, “As I write this, I can confidently say that Kim Page has surpassed every hope that I held for what my supervisor might be like walking into my field placement this year. Kim has been the most incredible support system, teacher, leader, and example of what it means to embody the NASW’s code of ethics and core values in your professional and personal life. Kim has led the Family Intervention Program through tremendous amounts of organizational change these past years, and even though it may appear she is constantly being pulled in twenty million different directions, Kim has consistently made supporting me in my educational journey the uppermost priority. It is not a rare occurrence for Kim to ask me how she and the agency can continue supporting me in my educational goals, and has consistently gone above and beyond to provide all of the FIP interns with as many educational opportunities as possible. Kim has earned the respect of her colleagues, staff, and other interns not only because she is an incredibly talented clinician, but because she embodies what it means to be a social worker that leads with empathy, honesty, compassion, innovation, and the client’s best interest in mind. The lessons and insight I have gained from our weekly supervisions have completely changed the ways in which I view and work with clients for the better. Her honest feedback of my performance has challenged me to become the best clinician I can be, and has helped me to realize potential in myself that I didn’t even know existed. As I graduate and continue to progress in my career, I know that I owe so much of the social worker I am to Kim’s care in my personal and professional development.”


Wayne Maddox, Field Instructor Commitment to Service Award
Presented by Student Tara Gordon

When nominating Wayne Maddox for this award, Tara Gordon said, “I first met Wayne in April of 2020. I was heading back to grad school after having a baby, and I was eager to find my place in the social work world. Fast forward two years, and Wayne has been my field instructor ever since. Wayne is a thoughtful field instructor, always assisting with meeting learning plan requirements and putting the agency’s needs at the forefront of the work. He is also very knowledgeable at the craft, providing ample opportunities for students to practice and learn their clinical skills. I became more interested in pursuing clinical work (and working directly with families) after working with him. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to be under his tutelage, as he is an amazingly kind and wise social worker.”


Carol Rabideau, Field Instructor Lifetime Achievement
Nominated by Field Interns

When Carol Rabideau’s current and former students were asked to share a bit about her, they said, “Carol is a true example of a social worker’s heart. She goes above and beyond for those she serves, and I found myself looking forward to our weekly discussions because I wanted to learn as much as I could from her. She has been a true encourager and confidant in my year in graduate school, and I feel that I am a better social worker and individual just from knowing her.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better generalist year supervisor than Carol. It was clear from the beginning that she was supportive, patient, curious, and passionate about the field of social work. I am so grateful for our curiosity-driven supervision talks that sometimes went well over our time limit, but we always enjoyed each other’s company especially during the time of COVID zoom sessions.”