Social Work Amplified UTA SOSW

Episode 14 highlights the multifaceted career of Renika Atkins, a Master of Social Work, Epic Principal Trainer, Nonprofit Director and Consultant, and a foster care advocate. Renika received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Texas Woman’s University and her Master’s degree in Social Work with a focus on Community and Administrative Practice from The University of Texas at Arlington. For her daily 9-5 job, Renika works in healthcare IT as an Epic Principal Trainer. As an Epic Principal Trainer, Renika facilitates training and training materials for end users proficiency in EPIC EMR system, evaluates current training methods for improvement and maximum user retention, provides on site and ATE support to staff and employees of the hospital system, and acts as liaison for operational staff and training staff. Renika doesn’t stop there though. She also started her own nonprofit RISE (Resources Inspiring Success and Empowering) and works there as the Executive Director. RISE is one of the only transition focused nonprofit organization in the North Texas area, centered around the success of vulnerable populations such as foster youth and alumni. RISE was developed to combat the negative outcomes of aging out of the foster/adoptive care system. Lastly, Renika works as a nonprofit consultant and uses her knowledge and skills in nonprofit management to champion the cause to increase funding for black led nonprofits and nonprofits who explicitly serve the black community. She is truly a social work trailblazer!

Join us for episode 14 of the Social Work Amplified Podcast to hear about Renika’s multifaceted career in macro social work. She also shares insights for those that want to jump into a career in nonprofit management and shares expertise around advocacy for those that want to take their next step in political advocacy. She will not disappoint!

Macro social workers work in all different types of settings! Join us for episode 13 of the Social Work Amplified Podcast to hear from Amanda L. Sargent, MSW and Future Readiness Macro Social Work Practitioner. Amanda has a diverse career in macro social work that really highlights all that macro social workers are capable of!

Amanda earned a Bachelor of Arts in African-American-Black Studies and Education from The University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Arlington, concentrating in Community and Administrative Practice. She has worked in the fields of racial equity and inclusion, college access and program development for more than a decade in positions such as school board trustee, college admissions advisor, diversity outreach coordinator and program director. Amanda enjoys her career in macro social work because she is able to empathetically listen to the stories of those impacted by social injustice, connect people to resources and opportunities, strategize to create innovative and creative solutions to systemic issues, and celebrate social change (big and small) along the way.

In episode 13 of the Social Work Amplified Podcast, Amanda offers us insight into what drew her into a career in macro social work. She discusses how she uses her personal strengths to advocate for America’s youth and how she engages uses her social work skills to engage in politics in order to achieve socially just outcomes. Amanda is an engaging speaker who offers an authentic perspective on what it means to be a macro social worker and social justice advocate. You won’t want to miss this episode!

Join us for episode 12 of the Social Work Amplified podcast where we will hear from Sarah Crockett, MSW and Director of Public Policy at Texas CASA, one of the largest volunteer organizations in Texas seeking to advocate in court for children in the foster care system.

After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Northwest Nazarene University and her graduate degree in Social Work, concentrating in Social Policy and Program Evaluation, from the University of Michigan, Sarah began her career in social policy research and advocacy. She has a wealth of experience in this area that finally led to her position as the Director of Public Policy at Texas CASA. Sarah explains how much she enjoys her job in CPS policy advocacy because it’s a systems level career where she’s able to bring kids’ voices to the table to help lead policy change in the area of foster care.

In episode 12 of the Social Work Amplified podcast, Sarah dives into the need for social workers to understand the marriage of micro and macro social work. She describes how all social workers need to hone both their micro and macro skills to be able to effectively create social change. Join us for this powerful episode of the Social Work Amplified podcast! You won’t regret it!

Join us for episode 11 of the Social Work Amplified podcast, where we will hear from Mary Beth Kopsovich, LMSW & Program Director at The Family Place, a Dallas-based organization seeking to empower victims of family violence, while working to end it through community engagement and advocacy.

Mary Beth is a Licensed Master Social Worker and the Program Director at The Family Place. After graduating with her undergraduate degree in women’s studies, she started working at a women’s shelter in 2004, and from there, she began to work her way up in the organization. It wasn’t until after realizing she was already doing the work of a social worker that she decided to go back to school to get her graduate degree in social work, to better her understandings and to refine her skills. Mary Beth has spent the last 17 years serving patients in mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities, providing street outreach to people living with HIV, and helping victims of domestic violence on their path from victimhood to survivorship. Her work in leadership roles in nonprofit organizations has allowed her to utilize her experience and talents to address domestic violence from a community and individual level.

In her spare time, Mary Beth has served as an expert witness on the issue of domestic violence for the Tarrant County Felony Intimate Partner Violence Unit for the Criminal District Attorney’s Office. She has also served on an executive committee for the Tarrant County Council on Family Violence. She is a past Woman of the Year awardee from the National Association of Professional Women and was also recognized by the Texas Governor’s Office as a Yellow Rose of Texas Award winner in 2013. Mary Beth has also served on various panels in Tarrant County, including panels in the faith-based community, Texas A&M Law School, Texas Christian University, and UT Southwestern. Mary Beth is also an adjunct Professor at The University of Texas at Arlington, who has taught a master’s level social work class titled “Intimate Partner Violence.”

Episode 11 of the Social Work Amplified Podcast highlights the ways that social workers can use macro practice and advocacy, to address the issue of family violence. Listen now to hear an interesting story about how Mary Beth used her macro social work skills to garner the support of an unexpected ally that would go on to lobby for legislation that would help to stop instances of family violence.

Leon Theodore joins us for episode 10 of the Social Work Amplified Podcast. Leon is the Dallas County Project Director at the Texas Center for Justice and Equity, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization out of Austin, Texas, seeking to "advances solutions and builds coalitions to end mass incarceration and foster safer Texas communities". You can read more about their mission and vision at texascje.org/about-tcje.

According to Texas Center for Justice and Equity, Leon "has been active in the reentry field since 2006, and he has done extensive volunteer work in Orlando, Florida, where he established his own nonprofit organization after recognizing a lack of local support services. Leon's passion for reentry, as well as social and employment development, stems from his own experience with the justice system and the stigma attached to people returning from incarceration. He is a proponent of youth diversion programs, especially as it relates to youth of color and the education system, and he launched the P.E.P. (Perception Equals Potential) Initiative in early 2020, seeking to improve outcomes for Dallas-area students, families, and communities. Leon earned a Master of Social Work from Texas A&M-Commerce in 2019, and, in the future, he plans to pursue a Doctorate of Social Work, focusing specifically on students of color and the intersection of self-esteem and perceived potential". You can find Leon's biography at texascje.org/about-tcje

Macro social work careers come in many shapes and sizes. Listen to episode 10 to learn about a day in the life of a social work Project Director and social architect! Hear Leon talk about how he seeks to inspire young people to change their world by changing their perspective.

Macro social workers work in all different types of settings! Join us for episode 9 of the Social Work Amplified Podcast to hear from Renae Perry, LMSW and Chief Operating Officer from The Senior Source.

Renae wasn't originally planning to become a social worker. It was only after taking an Intro to Social Work elective in college that she decided to shift gears and pursue a degree in social work. Renae graduated with a bachelor's degree in social work from Howard Payne University and received her master's degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington. After graduating, she started her social work career as an intern at The Senior Source and then worked all the way up to become the organization's Chief Operating Officer! What an accomplishment! Renae's mission, as a social work executive and aging advocate, is to help facilitate the best quality of life for older adults, caregivers, and families through nonprofit leadership and program development. She loves macro social work because it allows her to be involved in making an impact for a broader group of people.

Listen to episode 9 now to hear about why Renae feels being politically engaged is such an important aspect of her personal and professional life. You will hear about how she used her political social work/macro social work skills to work with the DA's office to seek justice for those in her community who were being targeted for fraud schemes and scams.