GPHSA ANNUAL TRAINING CONFERENCE
AND THE GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF DFCS
BOARDS, INC. ANNUAL MEETING
2014
Mountain Creek Inn and Conference Center
Callaway Gardens
COMBINING CARE AND COMPETENCE
2014 GPHSA SPONSORS
PLATINUM
http://www.smi-inc.com/
GOLD
https://www.apcu.com/
GOLD
http://bsgdevelopment.net/
GOLD
http://www.npsga.com/
2014 GPHSA Annual Training Conference and Annual
Meeting of the Georgia Association of Department of Family
And Children Services Boards
Conference at a Glance
9-10-2014
10:00-12:00
10:00-12:00
11:00-1:00
12:00-5:00
1:00-3:00
3:00-3:30
3:30-5:00
5:00-7:00
9-11-2014
8:00-8:30
8:30-10:00
8:30-12:00
10:00-10:30
10:30-12:00
12:30-2:00
2:00-3:00
2:00-3:00
Breakout Sessions
Session A
Session B
Session C
Session D
Session E
Session F
GPHSA Executive, Long Range Planning and Board
Meetings - Room 211-Mountain Creek Conference Center
GPHSA Retiree Auxiliary Meeting – Wine Cellar (near the Plant
Room)-Mountain Creek Inn
Registration-Ballroom Pre-function area-Mountain Creek Inn
Exhibits – Peach Room-Mountain Creek Inn
General Session – Willow Room-Mountain Creek Inn
Networking and Exhibits – Peach Room-Mountain Creek Inn
Breakouts (A-F below) See below
President’s Reception-Magnolia Room-Mountain Creek Inn
Registration- Ballroom Pre-function area-Mountain Creek Inn
General Session – Willow Room-Mountain Creek Inn
Exhibits – Peach Room-Mountain Creek Inn
Networking and Exhibits – Peach Room-Mountain Creek Inn
Breakouts (A-E see below)
Awards Luncheon – Georgia Room-Mountain Creek Inn-Michael
Thurmond, Superintendent, DeKalb County Schools-Keynote
Speaker
Board Association Business Meeting- Willow Room-Mountain
Creek Inn
GPHSA Director Auxiliary Meeting - Room 211-Mountain Creek
Conference Center
Trauma Informed Care-Room 209-Mtn Crk Conf Center
Supportive Leadership and Supervision-Room-Room 210Mountain Creek Conference Center
Survival-Managing Challenges and Surviving in Style-Room 206Mountain Creek Conference Center.
Grandparents Serving Grandchildren-Room 211 Mountain
Creek Conference Center
Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias in Georgia-Room 110
Mountain Creek Conference Center
Team Building-9/10 PM only-Sage Room-Mountain Creek
Conference Center
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
EXHIBITS
We have scheduled breaks in our program to allow participants to interact and exchange
information and ideas. Please take these opportunities to visit and thank our exhibitors.
PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION
Our President’s Reception will be from 5:00 to 7:00PM on September 10, 2014 in the
Magnolia Room of the Mountain Creek Inn
We will have light snacks and 150 free beverage tickets on a first come first-served basis.
A cash option for additional beverages is available.
We are grateful to our reception sponsors:
Goshen Valley, John Blend III, Executive Director
Northside Psychological Services, Dr. Chris French, Executive Director
Twin Cedars Youth and Family Programs, Inc., Mike Angstadt, Executive Director
GPHSA RETIREE AUXILIARY DROP IN HOSPITALITY
The GPHSA Retiree Auxiliary will host a drop in hospitality in the Retiree Suite at the
Mountain Creek Inn on September 10, 2014 from 8:30PM-11:00PM. The room # will be
posted on the Registration desk when known. Ice and paper products will be furnished.
Bring your beverage and a snack to share or just stop by to say Hi!
General Session Information
September 10, 2014
1:00PM to 3:00PM
Opening Remarks
D’Anna Liber, Director, Gwinnett County DFCS
President, GPHSA
Pat Swan, Board Member, Gwinnett County DFCS
President, Georgia Association of DFCS Boards, Inc.
Welcome
Margaretha Morris, Regional Director
Region 8 DFCS
Child Abuse and Neglect
Stephen Messner, MD, FAAP
Lead Physician at the Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Child Death Data for 2013
Understand the Truth within the Numbers
Martha A. Dukes, Field Assessment and Support Team
Division of Family and Children Services
LaShundra Stevenson, Field Assessment and Support Team
Division of Family and Children Services
General Session Information
September 11, 2014
8:30AM-10:00AM
Welcome and Introductions
D’Anna Liber, Director, Gwinnett County DFCS
President, GPHSA
Office of the Child Advocate
Jodi Spiegel, JD, Deputy Director,
Office of the Child Advocate
Breakout Sessions
September 10, 2014 from 3:30-5:00 and September 11, 2014 from 8:30 to 10:00
Session A-Trauma Informed Care-Room 209
Whitnei Pryor, PMP, MA, Director of Organizational Development & Training
Shemeka Frazier –Sorrells, LAPC
CHRIS Kids
www.chriskids.org
Session B-Supportive Leadership and Supervision-Room 210
Hannah Rule, Director, Walton County DFCS with Amber Gray, Walton DFCS and
Margarita Shaw, Newton DFCS
_________
Meaghan Bryant, Director, Gordon County DFCS with
Rachel Brooks, Gordon County DFCS
________
Christene Peek, District Manager, Division of Aging Services, Adult Protective Services
with Andre’a Glasper, Division of Aging Services, Adult Protective Services
________
Leigh Smith, Chattooga County DFCS, Economic Support Services Specialist with Rita
O’Neal, Region 1 DFCS Field Operations Administrator
Session C-Survival with Style-Room 206
John Buffum, Elbert County DFCS Director-Retired, GPHSA Executive Director
Emeritus, GPHSA Lifetime Associate Member
________
Linda T. Johnson, Assistant Commissioner Georgia Department of Labor-Retired, former
Richmond and Sumter County DFCS Director, GPHSA Past-President
________
June Merritt, Chairman-Early County Board of Commissioners, Early County DFCS
Director-Retired, GCWA Past President (two terms)
______
Robert “Bob” Pollock, DFCS Region Director-Retired, GPHSA Retiree Auxiliary
President
________
Robert Riddle, Vice-President SMI-INC., Director Division of Child Support ServicesRetired
Session D-Grandparents Serving Grandchildren-Room 211
Thom Snyder, Aging Services Coordinator, Division of Aging Services, Livable
Communities Section
________
Isaac Williams III, Policy Specialist, Policy and Paternity Unit, Division of Child Support
Services
Session E- Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias in Georgia -Room 211
Cynthia Haley-Dunn, Community Affairs Manager, Division of Aging Services
________
Suzette Binford, Family Support Services Director, Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia
Chapter
Session F- Team Building – Sage Room
Mike Angstadt, Executive Director, Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, Inc.
________
Lisa Moncrief, Training Coordinator, Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, Inc.
________
Samantha Link, PR/Marketing and Development Specialist at Twin Cedars Youth &
Family Services, Inc.
Presenter Biographical Information
Stephen Messner, MD, FAAP, is a board certified child abuse pediatrician, the lead
physician at the Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta, and is also the fellowship director of the Child Abuse Pediatrics
fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. Prior to moving to Atlanta in 2007,
Dr. Messner evaluated children for concerns of child abuse and neglect at the University
of Florida for three years, and was honored with the Florida Department of Health
Leadership Award in 2006. He regularly lectures on the medical aspects of numerous
child abuse topics and frequently testifies as an expert in the field of child abuse and
neglect. His position at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta allows him to consult on
patients who present to any of the three children’s hospitals and the clinic, supervise
nurse practitioners, educate medical students, residents and fellows, and also advise the
hospital administration about matters pertinent to child protection. Dr. Messner sits on
the advisory board of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Georgia and authored their
statewide medical standards. He sits on local Child Fatality Review Committees, and is a
member of APSAC, the Helfer Society and SOCAN.
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Whitnei A. Pryor, PMP, MA
Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Master of Arts in Counseling
Has worked at CHRIS Kids for 4 years
Whitnei Pryor, PMP, has more than 12 years of progressive leadership experience
providing clinical services, designing and evaluating programs, and raising awareness of
the need for trauma-informed programming in the social service setting. Whitnei was a
practicing clinician for many years and transitioned to project management and
organizational development to assist agencies with evidenced- based program
implementation, training, and fidelity monitoring. As the Director of Organizational
Development & Training at CHRIS Kids, Whitnei is responsible for initiating and
executing projects related to trauma-informed practice, strategic planning, and
partnership management. She has presented on the topic of trauma and trauma informed
practice at multiple state and regional conferences, and consults with organizations of all
sizes to aid in trauma-informed organizational & system change.
Shemeka Frazier Sorrells, LAPC
Shemeka Frazier Sorrells brings over a decade of experience in the field of social services
ranging from program and policy development, project management, supervision of child
welfare workers and case management for child protective services. She is innovative,
precise and confident professional with a solid career reflecting strong leadership skills in
developing and implementing policies and projects, managing programs, and monitoring
for outcomes to facilitate change. She has worked in the government and private sector
and has a passion for developing programs that serve at risk populations. The best part of
her job is knowing that an individual, that some otherwise would have written off, has a
chance at learning and realizing their individual worth and contributions to society.
Jodi Ann Spiegel, Deputy Director of the Office of the Child Advocate, has 22 years
of legal experience. She has represented juveniles in delinquent cases and parents in
deprived (now dependency) cases. After 14 years of private practice, she became an
Assistant District Attorney prosecuting cases involving crimes against children. As a
prosecutor, she worked closely with DFCS, law enforcement, the local child advocacy
center and was a member of the Multi-disciplinary task force. She also led the multiagency sexual assault protocol committee in revising the Sexual Assault Response Team
protocol and conducted circuit wide training. She was a member and past president of
the Domestic Violence Task Force and on the Board of Directors of the Crisis Shelter.
Mike Angstadt is the Executive Director of Twin Cedars Youth and Family
Services, Inc., a position he has held since March 1, 1995. Twin Cedars is a multiservice agency offering programs from residential care to foster care, community mental
health and more. The agency’s services are offered in Columbus, LaGrange and Macon,
Georgia, as well as Opelika and Auburn, Alabama. He is actively involved in
teambuilding for Twin Cedars programs and external agencies and groups.
Lisa Moncrief is the Training Coordinator for Twin Cedars Youth and Family
Services, Inc., a position she has held since August 7, 2011, although she has worked for
Twin Cedars since August 19, 2003. In this capacity Lisa manages our three
teambuilding courses and provides other needed training for our agency. Lisa holds a
BSW from Florida State University.
Samantha Link is a PR/Marketing and Development Specialist at Twin Cedars
Youth & Family Services, Inc. with a passion for team building. Samantha began her
career working with Twin Cedars shortly after graduating from Auburn University with a
B.A. in psychology. As well as her traditional duties of working with: civic
organizations, social media, internal and external mass communication, and special
events, she also works closely with multiple initiatives within Twin Cedars including:
Darkness to Light and Team Building.
Michael L. Thurmond
Superintendent, DeKalb County School District
Michael L. Thurmond is the superintendent of the DeKalb County School District, the third
largest district in the state of Georgia. The district serves 99,400 students with over 13,400
employees. He is currently on leave from the Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer law firm.
Thurmond was the Democratic Party's nominee for United States Senate in 2010.
Thurmond was raised as a sharecropper's son in Clarke County, Georgia. He graduated Cum
Laude with a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Paine College and later earned a Juris
Doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He also completed
the Political Executives program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University.
In 1986, he became the first African-American elected to the Georgia General Assembly
from Clarke County since Reconstruction. During his legislative tenure, Thurmond authored
major legislation that has provided more than $250 million in tax relief to Georgia's senior
citizens and working families. He also served as Chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black
Caucus.
Following his legislative service, Thurmond was called upon to lead the state Division of
Family and Children's Services and direct Georgia's historic transition from welfare to work.
He created the innovative Work First program, which helped over 90,000 welfare-dependent
Georgia families move from dependence into the workforce.
In 1997, Thurmond became a distinguished lecturer at the University of Georgia's Carl
Vinson Institute of Government. The following year in November, he was elected Georgia
Labor Commissioner, becoming the first non-incumbent African American to be elected to
statewide office in Georgia.
During his three terms as commissioner, the Georgia Labor Department underwent a major
transformation in customer service and efficiency. His Georgia Works program has earned
national praise and bi-partisan support. President Barack Obama based part of the American
Jobs Act after the Georgia Works model.
He is the recipient of two honorary doctorate degrees from Clark Atlanta University and
LaGrange College. Thurmond has also served as a motivational speaker to state school board
associations in nine Southern states on issues regarding leadership, diversity, and public
education advocacy in the 21st century.
Thurmond's latest book, Freedom: Georgia's Antislavery Heritage, 1733-1865, was awarded
the Georgia Historical Society's Lilla Hawes Award. The Georgia Center for the Book listed
Freedom as one of The 25 Books All Georgian's Should Read. He presently serves on the
Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society. He is married to Zola Fletcher
Thurmond, and they have one daughter, Mikaya Thurmond.