Email from National Child Welfare Workforce Institute

April 2023

Celebrating the Success of

LaTaya Hunt

LaTaya (a.k.a. LaToya) Hunt is a 2023 MSW graduate student at the University of Georgia. After graduating with her BSW from Mississippi State University, LaTaya entered the child welfare profession in 2006 and has been in the profession for 17 years. She started off as a case manager and within two years was promoted to supervisor in the family preservation department. After a while, she switched to another county, where she became supervisor over intake, investigations, family preservations, and family support. After three years, LaTaya moved into the role of quality assurance supervisor for foster care and adoptions in a new county. From there, LaTaya was promoted to an administrator role over family support, where she took on the challenge of having over 1,200 cases with only three case managers. She was able to build up a team to fully support the 1,200 cases before transferring to Chatham County, GA, as an administrator. After a couple of years, she was promoted to district manager for special investigations, where she investigated high-profile cases. Eventually, she was promoted to county director. LaTaya was able to accomplish all of this before discovering NCWWI and signing up for graduate school.

What's an Academic Auntie?

The Academic Auntie can be thought of as a caring mentor, who has "walked the path before" (Rucker, 2021). Academic mentors play a crucial role in helping students succeed. Mentors are often well-versed and experienced experts who work closely with students to help them overcome obstacles and realize their full potential in their education. Mentoring students academically and emotionally, Cortney Bolt leads the Academic Auntie program at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Cortney is an excellent role model for the students, and by working with them, she can provide them with the direction and encouragement they need to succeed in school and beyond.

Celebrating the Success of

Kimee Wind-Hummingbird

Muscogee Creek Nation

Kimee Wind-Hummingbird is a Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizen with Cherokee descent. She will receive a Master of Social Work degree from The University of Oklahoma in May 2023 and has earned the title of 2023 Graduate of the Year. Kimee’s undergrad degree in Health and Human Performance was obtained from Northeastern State University.

She started her child welfare career in 1999 with the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare program, where she gained experience in many facets of Indian Child Welfare. Kimee joined the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's (MCN) Children and Family Services Administration (CFSA) as a Program Manager in 2013 and swiftly rose through the ranks. She served as the Director of the CFSA, which encompassed Promoting Safe & Stable Families; Child Protection Services; Certification, Placement & Recruitment for Foster and Adoptive Homes; Tribal and State Reunification and Permanency Services, and oversaw the Tribal Juvenile Justice program before departing the MCN in 2021.

Kimee joined the team at the National Native Children's Trauma Center as the Training and Technical Specialist shortly after leaving MCN and now serves as a Training & Technical Assistance Manager overseeing initiatives concentrating on Tribal Child Welfare and Child Advocacy Centers at the National Native Children's Trauma Center.

National Student & Alumni Advisory Board Updates

As we wrap up the end of NCWWI Student and Alumni Advisory Board Meetings for the semester, we would like to give a warm and gracious thank you to all who have volunteered their time and efforts to the advisory board. Not only did these meetings help to build connection and community between NCWWI students and alumni, but it has guided much of our work to support you and other students, alumni, and child welfare professionals. At our last meeting, we asked board members to share thoughts and ideas on ways to help students and alumni stay connected with each other, as well as with NCWWI. You can find the many great ideas in the meeting notes on our Student and Alumni webpage. If you have any other suggestions, please email them to Liz Smith at smit3162@msu.edu. Thank You!

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