Social Work Alumni Day Offers Training and Honors Distinguished Alumni

The UC School of Social Work Alumni Board hosts Alumni Day each spring, providing a robust continuing education (CE) training opportunity for social workers, community members and clinicians in the Greater Cincinnati area. The daylong event offers six clock hours of CE credits through presentations that address important topics and challenges to the profession.

Nearly 150 alumni and friends attended Social Work Alumni Day on April 26 to reconnect with fellow social workers and earn CEUs. In the morning, UC School of Social Work faculty member Shauna Acquavita, PhD presented “Addressing Addiction: Implementing Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) with Special Populations,” which offered helpful resources and best-practice screening questions to enhance social workers’ interactions with their clients.

Later, Terri Spahr Nelson, LISW, presented “The Impact of the #MeToo Movement with Our Clients, Our Students, Our Colleagues and Ourselves.” Her presentation received praise from UC Social Work Alumni Board co-chair Jean Sepate, Univ ’70, CAHS ’83. “The afternoon session was so timely, as we need to become more aware of attitudes and beliefs about sexual harassment and assault that have make it difficult for so many people to report their experiences,” Sepate said. “Terri shared trauma-informed approaches to help clients, and also focused on the need for social workers to do more advocacy work in this area.”

During the luncheon, the board honored Charlla Allen, PhD, MSW ’86, and Annetta Davis ’09, LISW-S, as the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award honorees:

Charlla Allen, PhD is a 1986 graduate of the University of Cincinnati School of Social Work Master’s Program. Charlla has served for 35 years as a clinical social worker in various positions internationally. She is currently director of Central State University’s Social Work program which she advanced into national accreditation status, gaining full accreditation in 2017. Charlla also is a grant writer, presenter, researcher and author, and serves on numerous professional, civic, and non-profit boards.

Annetta Davis, LISW-S, is a 2009 graduate of the University of Cincinnati School of Social Work Master’s Program. As a mental health therapist, she works with health care professionals and families to address vicarious trauma; she has also provided coaching, case management and crisis intervention services. She is now in private practice in Centerville, Ohio. Annetta is the former President of the NASW Ohio Chapter, and served as NASW Vice President and Treasurer. She received the NASW Ohio Region 6 Emerging Leader Award in 2011 and the Outstanding Service of Social Work Award in 2017. The Ohio House of Representatives acknowledged Annetta for Outstanding Public Service Work and Advocacy in 2018. She has been a leading voice against conversion therapy and recently appeared in “Leelah’s Highway,” a documentary film created to reduce trans-youth suicide.

For more information about the School of Social Work Alumni Board, email Bri Coggins, Associate Director of Alumni Relations.