Kylan Hadley received her MSW from UTCSW Nashville Campus in 2020. Prior to that she received a BA in Religious Studies from Belmont University. Hadley is currently the All Children Excel (ACE) Nashville Coordinator for the Metro Public Health Department. ACE Nashville is a collective impact initiative using a Public Health approach to address the problem of adverse childhood experiences and adverse community environments (ACEs). The mission of ACE Nashville is to prevent and mitigate the lifelong impact of childhood adversity to improve the safety, health, and prosperity of the community. The Metro Public Health Department serves as one of ACE Nashville’s backbone partners providing administrative and coordinating support for the initiative.
Social Work Job Duties:
Hadley supports ACE Nashville’s internal and external functions, including strategy, communications, community engagement, and data functions.
Why did you become a Social Worker?I became a social worker so that I could have the best training and education to impact systems change. As a social worker, I understand that equity and justice must be sought at the systems level in order to create a society that properly values and supports its citizens.
What is the best part of being a social worker?
The NASW Code of Ethics is one of the strongest professional ethical standards out there. The Code of Ethics grounds my work and provides constant guidance and perspective. I am drawn daily to the principle that social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of a person. This is an important tenant, especially when working at the systems level. If I were to boil down my professional ethics to one phrase, it would be that.
What is the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge of being a social worker is that not everyone is a social worker and does not share our professional commitment to justice and equity. In macro practice, it is important to be able to communicate effectively the impact of decisions made far upstream. This has the greatest impact when speaking to other professionals who share similar ethical standards.
Who or what is your inspiration?
My greatest inspiration comes from Black community leaders who have paved the way for community engagement movements. We owe so much to community organizers who pioneered collective action. Collective Impact is strongest when it amplifies and uplifts BIPOC leaders and communities.
What is your self-care routine?
In an era of zoom fatigue and meeting overload, I do everything I can to space out my meetings so that I have time in my day to leave my desk and take a walk or choose a nourishing lunch. I set a boundary with my supervisor early on that I would not check email after hours. I am very lucky to work in an environment that supports mental and emotional wellbeing and work life balance.
What do you love about being a UTCSW Alum?
The network of supportive social workers. Most of my job is meetings that are held in the community with other professionals who are committed to reducing the impact of ACEs and promoting trauma-informed frameworks. More often than not I find myself in the company of other UTCSW alum who are doing wonderful work in our community.
If you had to choose one SW VALUE as most important from the Code of Ethics, which one would you choose and why?
As I mentioned earlier, the social work value that I keep closest to the center of my work is always honoring the dignity and worth of a person. Everything we do on the systems level impacts individuals and their dignity and worth guides all that we do.