April 2023

Click here to see the original  email campaign with photos.

From the Council's Chief Public Information Officer

Dear readers,

We have 21 new reasons to celebrate! That’s how many graduates joined our Partners in Policymaking® alumni network this past weekend. Learn more about each graduate and share your congratulations on our Facebook or Twitter feed! Enjoy a few photos from their final session below.

Our new graduates join hundreds of Partners alumni who have been leading change in Tennessee for 30 years. We’re continuing to celebrate that anniversary with the hashtag #PartnersTN30. If you’re a grad, use the hashtag to share how Partners has helped you work for change!

We’re also going to spend the coming months planning for the future of Partners in Policymaking. A lot has changed in recent years. There are new technology tools and new ways to connect and learn. We’ll be asking our Partners graduates about what they want to see for the future of this program. We’ll also be planning a reunion for Partners graduates to reconnect in person – something our network has said they’re eager to do!

With all this celebration and planning, we’ll be pausing on enrolling a new class of Partners scholars for the 2023-24 year. We’ll be giving our full attention to celebrating the past and planning for the future of the Partners in Policymaking® Leadership Institute.

During graduation weekend, our Partners scholars designed vision boards to show what they’ve learned and where they are headed. Our Executive Director, Lauren, noticed that many of the boards included garden imagery.

As I look out my window at the vivid greens of Tennessee spring, I agree with our Partners grads: nature provides the perfect metaphor for constant growth that keeps us moving forward.
  
Happy spring, everyone!

Jolene Sharp
Chief Public Information Officer

P.S. Huge thanks to our Director of Leadership Development, Cathlyn Smith, for guiding BOTH our Partners and Leadership Academy for Excellence in Disability Services programs with skill, wisdom, and compassion! She's had a very busy month, but we know she takes great pride in the accomplishments of both classes of graduates.

Congratulations to our 2023 Partners in Policymaking graduating class

  • Heather Bensch - Ripley
  • Becca Brnik - Cleveland
  • Colleen Campbell - Madison
  • Sarah Clinton - Nashville
  • Olivia Crossman - Nashville
  • Swathi Dasari - Brentwood
  • Monica Everett - Cordova
  • Barbara Goodrum - Paris
  • Jennifer Hout - Franklin
  • Gregory Hutchins - Murfreesboro
  • Kevin Krieb - Christiana
  • Nidhi Mali - Memphis
  • Alexis May - Milan
  • Katie Moore - Jackson
  • Lia Nichol - Powell
  • Edel Pace - Lebanon
  • Justin Ralls - Greenfield
  • Lindy Register - Bells
  • Sidney Roark - Oak Ridge
  • Dr. Sharon Webb - Memphis
  • Fleur Whitehead - Clarksville

Fourth Class of TN Leadership Academy for Excellence in Disability Services (LAEDS) Graduates

In addition to our Partners class, we celebrated another graduation this month - the fourth class of the state Leadership Academy for Excellence in Disability Services. The Council developed LAEDS in partnership with the TN Dept. of Human Resources back in 2015-16. 

LAEDS is a year-long leadership development program for state employees whose work has a direct impact on Tennesseans with disabilities and their families. The goal is to ensure that these leaders in state government work from a shared set of values, goals and principles. The academy builds relationships and collaboration among state agency partners.

Participants from this year's class represented:

  • TennCare
  • TN Department of Transportation
  • TN Department of Human Services
  • TN Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
  • TN Department of Safety
  • TN Department of Veterans Services
  • TN Department of Corrections

They learned about:

Congratulations and a big thank you to these state leaders for your dedication to serving your customers and clients who are a part of TN's disability community. And thanks to our partners at the Dept. of Human Resources for making all 4 classes of the academy a big success. Check out this brief YouTube video for stories about how this program has impacted TN leaders in the disability field!

Get to Know a Leader: Kati Snow, Assistant Director of Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES and Katie Beckett programs, TennCare

We like to introduce our readers to different leaders of agencies and programs that impact Tennesseans with disabilities.
 
Meet Kati Snow with TennCare.

Tell us a bit about your career background and your current role.

Before coming to TennCare, I had the opportunity to serve older adults and adults with disabilities in "continuing care communities" for 8+ years. For those who are not familiar, continuing care communities are communities that people can move to and live out the rest of their days. Essentially, these communities can provide all aspects of care – from independent living options to long-term care (nursing home) level of care.

During my time in continuing care communities, I had many roles. But my most recent role was the social worker in the skilled nursing facility part of the community. In this role, I had the opportunity to refer people for services and supports to help them be as independent as possible in the community. I also advocated daily for the best interest of each person to enhance their quality of life. Person-centered care was a huge part of my advocacy, as every person is unique and has a right to have their wants and needs honored.

In my current role as the Assistant Director of Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES and Katie Beckett, I help the Director manage the many different aspects of both ECF CHOICES and Katie Beckett to ensure that each program serves its members in the best way possible. We provide oversight and support for both programs.

There are many different things that we do on a day-to-day basis that I could write a whole article on. I would say that the most important thing that Gary Smith, the Director, and I do is ensure that our members are getting the services and supports that they need to thrive in the community. If our members are thriving, then our programs are doing what they were intended to do. Our members will always be our primary focus because they are the reason that we do what we do!

What is one thing you’re working on right now that you are excited about?
Recently, one project that Gary and I have been working on is improving our website. We have been working with our partners, advocacy groups, and members/families on making our website more user-friendly and easier to understand. We hope that when potential members or their families visit our website, it helps them to better understand the different programs that Long-Term Services and Supports at TennCare offers and how these programs would be helpful for their specific needs.

Of course, there are many things that are constantly in the works! But this is one area I am excited to share about because the more people that know about the programs that Long-Term Services and Supports at TennCare offers, then the more people we are able to serve and assist in meeting their life goals.

What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned from working with TN’s disability community?
That every single person is so resilient and capable of so much, if they just have someone to believe in them. We see this every day in the success stories shared by our members and their families. We also see this in the stories they share about obstacles they have had to navigate and tackle to advocate for themselves or their loved one. Our members and families reinforce the reason I am here daily – to make things accessible and available for everyone while believing that each person is capable of so much.

If you could wave a magic wand to remove a barrier to doing all that you want to be doing in your role, what would that look like?
If I could wave a magic wand to remove a barrier, it would be to resolve the workforce challenges entirely. Since the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, staffing has been an issue across the board and across the country. I dealt with the workforce challenges in my previous position, as well.

TennCare is actively involved in many different projects to grow and develop the direct care workforce. For further information on these projects, please visit: TennCare Workforce Initiative | TennCare (umn.edu).

What are some activities you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love spending quality time with my husband, family, and friends. My husband, Ben, and I have two dachshunds, Charlotte and Henry, and a cat, Cowboy, and all three of them are the best snuggle buddies. We also have 4 nieces and 4 nephews who keep us busy going to games, recitals, plays, etc.

When I am not busy with family and friends, I love attending my small group Bible study, watching football (Go Vols! Go Titans!), doing modern calligraphy, propagating plants, and reading. I also cannot say no to a good Netflix binge, especially if it involves real life crime stories. The psychology of criminal behavior has always been an interest to me. But don’t worry, I also very much enjoy wholesome shows like The Office, Golden Girls, and Gilmore Girls.

When should members of the disability community reach out to you or your team directly?
I know Gary and I both love to hear from our members and their families. Our emails are always open. Anyone is welcome to reach out to us regarding any issues, concerns, successes, improvement opportunities, things that are going well, etc. My email is Kathryn.R.Snow@tn.gov and (Director of Employment and Community First CHOICES and Katie Beckett) Gary Smith’s email is Gary.A.Smith@tn.gov.