Training Services

Kathleen Nichols **** Heathstead Dr., Apt. D | Dublin, Ohio 43016

C: 937-***-**** | aoai6p@r.postjobfree.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenlnichols

Social Worker| Administrator

Proven Executive Administrator and Program Director with 18+ years of industry experience, known regionally, as Certified Trainer for Ohio Police Officers Training Academy, nationally, for expertise in Youth Cyber Safety, and as presenter for 60+ national, state, and local conferences, speaking on such topics as Sexting 101 and Cyber Bullying 101.

Career highlights include accountability for $320,000 budget enabling outreach to of 1 million students/adults in 55 counties with training curriculum, expanding Victim Assistance Services program by 300% to serve 1000 individuals in 1st year alone, earning “Employee of the Quarter” award (2011) for transitioning high-impact youth program from community level to Attorney General’s Office, and for introducing such key initiatives as Ohio Cyber Safety Week and Ohio Cyber Safety Initiative.

Career History

Ohio Attorney General's Office … Columbus, Ohio (2006 – Present)

State legal governing body reorganized by Ohio General Assembly in 1904, later identifying 10 sections over which it has legal authority, such as Public Works, Highways and Agriculture, Dairy and Food, Health and Medical, Insurance, and Common Schools and Universities.

Director of Youth Programs

Became recognized leader in state of Ohio and nation in area of Cyber Safety, earning “Employee of the Quarter” award (2011) for work managing statewide education, providing outreach, awareness, technical assistance and support to schools and communities, law enforcement / criminal justice professionals, and juvenile colleagues and advocates on topic of youth and juvenile violence prevention, reaching almost of 1 million students and adults in 55 Ohio counties, with budget oversight of $300,000 in grant funding and $20,000 in general funds; consulted with large body of youth professionals, demonstrating expertise in cyber safety, bullying, parenting high risk youth, gang prevention, and school safety.

Ensured education and awareness of youth professionals by informing individuals through synchronous and asynchronous learning methods, as well as creation and implementation of successful, high-impact programs including Ohio Cyber Safety Initiative, Ohio Cyber Safety Week, Sexting 101 and Cyber Bullying 101, and delivery of professional development presentations at 60+ national, state and local conferences, which promoted education, awareness, and training for students in grades K -16.

• Served in numerous high-profile positions; included operating as past Ohio state representative for National Institute of Justice School Safety Working Group, and serving as Crisis Trainer and Responder as part of the National Association of Victim Assistance and Crisis Responder for Ohio Crisis Response Team, as well as Certified Trainer for Ohio Police Officers Training Academy.

• Functioned in consultative capacity, providing technical assistance and support as youth and juvenile issue expert for state of Ohio by giving counsel on such Youth and Juvenile Violence Prevention issues as technology misuse involved with sexting, cyber bullying, identify theft, and topics of gang prevention, school safety, bullying, intimidation and harassment.

• Spearheaded efforts to use online training platforms such as Adobe Connect, Illuminate, 1 to 1 video conferencing and Skype to deliver professional development training in Ohio, including well-known Cyber Safety Program.

• Increased visibility of AG Office and saved tax dollars by offering access to free online training, and creating curriculum for regional Train the Trainer series; additionally, performed agency grant reviews and reviewed grant proposals on behalf of Office of Criminal Justice Services and Ohio Department of Education.

Union County Prosecutors Office … Marysville, Ohio (1999 – 2003 & 2005 – 2006)

Provides comprehensive services and resources for crime victims serving Juvenile, Municipal and Common Pleas courts

Program Director – Victim Assistance Services

Served in Executive Director capacity, accountable for program budget of $300,000 and all operating funds – successfully petitioning City of Marysville and Union County Commissioners – for additional funds to increase program services, supervising several full-time program employees and social work interns, overseeing all programming for comprehensive victim-assistance services for Union County, Ohio, and on call 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to respond to crime scenes, victim’s home, or hospital, law enforcement agency, or shelter location.

Provided assistance to victims in Common Pleas, Municipal and Juvenile Courts – helping to complete victim / witness notifications, court accompaniments, case preparation, i.e., collection of witness statements, releases of information, and restitution documentation – and rendering behind-the-scenes guidance for victims, witnesses, and family members during trials, and providing direction for victim impact statements and applying for victims of crime compensation.

• Successfully transformed program from community initiative to service provided within Prosecutors Office, with substantial impact upon community; in single year of transition, increased client services by 300%, enabling program to reach full 1000 individuals annually, as opposed to only small percentage of eligible clients within former mental health center location.

• Spearheaded year-long process of writing and implementing Union County Sexual Assault Protocol; drafted Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by all county stakeholders, created and implemented training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and medical personnel, and led statewide training sessions for Ohio counties, offering technical assistance for counties wishing to implement program.

• As critical component geared at increasing visibility and awareness of program benefit and services, created and chaired 3 critical Union County committees; included Domestic Violence Task Force, Sexual Assault Response Team, and Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team.

• Coordinated and consolidated crime victim services for entire criminal justice system within Union County, introducing and executing seamless service delivery on behalf of all victims within county.

Memorial Hospital of Union County … Marysville, Ohio (2003 – 2005)

Formed from partial funding through Hill-Burton Act and generous community donations totaling more than $300,000, hospital opened in 1952 with 40 beds, later expanding to serve 65,000 residents of Union County with 97-bed primary and emergency care facility with 30+ additional services.

Medical Social Worker

Provided comprehensive social services for emergency room patients, consulting with hospital staff (nurses, doctors, chaplains) to communicate specifics of particular cases (including patient histories), and accomplishing patient interviews.

Most significant accomplishment included development and introduction of hospital-wide Prenatal Loss Program which provided support for parents and families in event of loss of newborn/child; additional contributions involved initiative where applied for and successfully received funding for free/low cost mammograms for uninsured or underinsured women, and role played as co-founder of Sexual Assault Response Team, which provided seamless, efficient services for victims of sexual assault.

Core duties in role spanned 3 functional areas, including Public Health Officer responsibilities, Services & Assistance, and Assessments.

Public Health Officer:

Functioned in capacity of Public Health Officer by performing diagnostic of patient's mental state through review of health records and interviews with family and relatives; final prognosis of patient’s mental condition involved rendering provisional diagnosis and determining level of in/outpatient care needed after conducting Lethality Assessment, implementing Safety Plan, and following through with Admission or Discharge Plans.

Services & Assistance:

Supplied triage for accident victims and crisis intervention following traumatic events, supported physicians by notifying relatives of patient deaths, assisted patients seeking hospice services, helped those wanting to enroll in organ donation programs, ensured that low-income patients able to obtain prescriptions at no or low costs, and offered counsel to family members who had lost loved one or received bad news.

Assessments:

Conducted risk assessment and safety planning for victims of family violence as well as for children, elderly or other vulnerable populations, provided evaluations and treatment recommendations for intoxicated patients or those under influence of substances, and performed appraisals and referrals for those needing placements in nursing homes.

Ohio Attorney General's Office

Memorial Hospital of Union County, Union County Prosecutors Office … Marysville, Ohio (1999 – 2007)

State legal governing body reorganized by Ohio General Assembly in 1904, later identifying 10 sections over which it has legal authority – such as Public Works, General Criminal Business, Dairy and Food, Health and Medical, Insurance, and Common Schools and Universities; Attorney General Wade Ellis codified Ohio law, which became known as Municipal Code of Ohio in 1910.

Agency Liaison for Student Interns

Chief contribution in position entailed creation and management of Student Intern Program involving several local universities and colleges; program equipped interns to provide services to victims of crime at no cost to county, and enabled interns to gain valuable skills and experience as well as in-depth exposure to criminal justice system, which encompassed law enforcement, courts and correctional facilities; wrote and implemented policies and procedures outlining specifics of initiative and developed corresponding Student Orientation Program to assimilate new interns.

Education

Master of Arts in Public Policy and Management – John Glenn Institute of Ohio State University (2007)

Bachelor’s of Social Work – Bluffton University (1993)

Professional Licenses & Certifications

Licensed Social Worker (LSW) - State of Ohio

Certified Trainer – Ohio Police Officer Training Academy

Certified Trainer and Crisis Responder – National organization of Victim Assistance

Certified Forensic Interviewer for Child Sexual Abuse Cases

MADD Field Advocate

Victim Offender Mediation certificate

Recipient accommodation from Governor Taft for Responding to 911 – Ohio Crisis Response Team

Lay Director of Body Life Ministries- First United Methodist Church, Marysville, Ohio FY 2009-2011

Critical Incident Stress Training- 40 hour certificate- 2010

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