Alumni

Pamela Sessions received her MSSW from UTCSW in 1989. Prior to that she received a BA in Human Studies. Sessions is currently the CEO of Renewal House in Nashville, Tennessee. She is responsible for overall agency management and operations. This includes fundraising, marketing, and ensuring quality services are provided to clients. This role serves as…

Lindsey O’Connell was recently named in the University of Tennessee 2022 class of Volunteer 40 Under 40.  Volunteer 40 Under 40 recognizes forty alumni under the age of 40 who have excelled personally and professionally since completing their degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Occupation: Vice President of Clinical Operations, Freeman Recovery Center Favorite UT…

Keena Friday-Gilbert, MBA, MSW, IMH-E received her BSW in Social Work from Oral Roberts University, her Masters of Business Administration from Phoenix University, and her MSSW from UTCSW in 2019.  Friday-Gilbert currently works as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee (AIMhiTN), and is based in…

Katherine Cassata-Wines received her BSW in Social Work from Austin Peay State University and her MSSW from UT College of Social Work in 2020. She currently works at Humana Health Insurance in Clarksville, Tennessee, as a Care Coordinator, Support Social Worker. Social Work Job Duties: Assisting members in locating local community resources to help provide…

Marc Sloan (BSSW 2019, MSSW 2020) and his mother Russette Marcum-Embry (MSSW Online 2019) studied social work together for three school years at UTCSW, and graduated from their respective programs in 2019. Marc then continued into the advanced standing MSSW program, also concentrating in organizational leadership, and graduated in May of 2020. What program were…

Lisa Pote, MSSWAlumni Council Chair Lisa Pote received her BS in Family and Community Services from Syracuse University and her MSSW from UT in 1997. Pote currently works as the Executive Director at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia, PA. Social Work Job Duties:The Beck Institute is a nonprofit entity with the…

Jordan Thomas, MSSWAlumni Council Secretary Jordan received their BBA in Marketing Management at East Tennessee State University and their MSSW from UT (Knoxville campus) in 2020. They currently work as a Case Manager at Sertoma in Knoxville. Social Work Job DutiesI provide case management services to coordinate people’s healthcare needs, personal goals, and overall physical,…

The UTCSW recently formed an Alumni Leadership Council in an effort to shape and support the alumni program. Representatives from each of the CSW programs as well as a variety of geographic locations will serve as ambassadors to encourage alumni peers to connect with the college. In addition to helping with alumni events across the…

Congratulations to Tennessee Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Marie Williams, 1993 UTCSW alum, member of the UTCSW Board of Visitors, and Tennessee Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, on receiving the Alumni Professional Achievement Award at the recent Alumni Awards Gala.   Commissioner Williams has spent decades bettering the lives…

Lauren Keller is a recent 2021 graduate of the MSSW program. She is living and working in Canal Fulton, Ohio, and has recently started a pet bereavement group in a cat café in her area, using the knowledge she learned from the veterinary social work program. “My favorite experience at UT College of Social Work was…