Adoption Rhode Island's Center for Advanced Practice will honor Indian-American professor Jayashree Nimmagadda on June 27 for her impactful leadership during their Children First And Always Awards Luncheon.
A professor of social work at Rhode Island College (RIC) for over two decades, Nimmagadda was recognised for increasing equity and access to high-quality, culturally appropriate social work services through programs that center on the needs of often marginalized populations.
As the former interim dean of the School of Social Work, RIC, she demonstrated strong leadership by working to increase enrollment in the program and ensuring that students from underrepresented groups, particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color (BIPOC) and/or multilingual, have equal access to social work education and employment opportunities.
During her tenure, Nimmagadda spearheaded numerous grant-funded and interprofessional initiatives, driving innovation within the school of social work. Recently, she secured a grant to establish the Atrévete Center of Excellence for Latinx/Hispanic Social Work Practice at RIC. The center aims to bolster Rhode Island’s behavioral healthcare workforce by adding up to 55 trained bilingual providers by 2027, directly addressing the mental health needs of the state’s Latinx community.
Darlene Allen, CEO and executive director of Adoption Rhode Island, praised Nimmagadda’s contributions. “Her partnerships, her development of new initiatives, her commitment to addressing inequities, her focus on accessibility, and her constant willingness to identify new strategies to achieve the best outcomes for students and the clients they serve is genuinely appreciated,” Allen said.
Nimmagadda’s collaboration with Adoption Rhode Island has been particularly impactful, through the new and improved Adoption and Foster Care certificate course.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login