Program Coordinator
Resume:
Karen Chamberlain
Nashville, Tennessee
QUALIFICATIONS
• Assists in statewide program coordination, evaluation, and monitoring to assure adoption program and service contracts are being administered in accordance with all pertinent policies and procedures.
• Able to maintain records and reports which pinpoint past service achievements, present outcomes and measurements, and expected goals for future delivery
• Able to identify trends which indicate whether staff services and operations are effectively meeting policies and procedures, as well as best practice within the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
• Provide project management for various initiatives for Tennessee children and families
• Able to study a program’s organization, operations, and services, and evaluate the manner in which services are delivered
• Able to discuss problem areas with program staff, and the community
• Act as a liaison between the community and the Department of Children’s Services
• Experience in providing case management for Post-Adoptions
• Knowledge of policies and procedures for Post-Adoption Services in the state of Tennessee
• Twelve years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of speech-language, cognitive, and swallowing deficits related to neurological disorders, trauma, developmental delay, etc.
• Hands on experience with adult and pediatric patients in a variety of settings, such as Skilled Nursing Facilities, Home Health, Assisted Living Facilities, Early Intervention, Classroom setting, and Outpatient programs, In Home Programs, and Daycares.
• Certification in the “Train the Trainer Program/Alzheimer’s Association for individuals with dementia - trained caregivers in the management of individuals with dementia.
• Certification in the Compton P-ESL (Pronouncing English as a Second Language) Program – foreign accent reduction.
• Experience in developing and implementing speech-language programs, educational programs, IEP’s, functional maintenance programs, and therapeutic/recreational activities for pediatric, adolescent, and adult populations.
• Experience in developing and implementing educational programs for caregivers (i.e. nursing staff, teachers, parents, spouses) of individuals with speech-language and/or swallowing disorders.
• Experience working in a daycare/child development setting; developing and implementing curriculum for teachers, as well as training for staff in the area of child development.
• Experience developing programs and providing classroom intervention for developmentally delayed children (i.e. PDD, Autism)
• Functioned as a case manager in early intervention programs serving children and their families.
• Supervised graduate students and speech-language assistants in clinical and educational settings.
• Worked closely with school districts in transitioning developmentally delayed children and at risk children from early intervention, home-based program into the school system.
WORK HISTORY
Program Coordinator, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services – Central Office
February 2005 - Current
• Lead Central Office team member responsible for monitoring all Tennessee children in foster care who are in full guardianship to ensure they find permanent families
• Provides direct technical assistance around adoption/permanency issues and services to Tennessee’s middle and west regions for the children and families they serve
• Partners with staff across the state in planning community recruitment events to increase awareness of the need for adoptive families, as well as to recruit adoptive families
• As a member of the Central Office Review Committee, reviews and provides recommendations on Adoption Assistance/SPG cases submitted by the region regarding rate requests
• Coordinates and participates in the Permanency Team Excellence, which acts as the gate keeper of permanency issues across the state. Responsibilities include tracking adoptions/permanency, identifying barriers to permanency that are specific to the region, providing TA permanency specialists, and acting as a liaison between permanency specialists and Central Office
• Assists regions in accessing services for children and families
• Performs case reviews to assure that staff are following policy and best practice guidelines in providing services to children and families
• Lead member of project management team for 2009 Youth Permanency Convenings
• Member of project management team for 2009-2009 Families For Tennessee Teens Initiative
• Responds to calls from resource parents and prospective foster/adoptive parents on such matters as becoming a resource/adoptive parent, difficulties encountered during the approval process, issues involving active cases, etc.
• Assists with the development and revisions of the Adoptions Best Practice Guide
• Works with agencies/private providers on the scope and outcomes of contracts
• Monitors contracts via reports submitted, feedback on services from the regions, and direct involvement with the agency
• Maintains and provides reports which pinpoint past service achievements, present outcomes and measurements, and expected goals for future delivery to the department and outside entities who monitor the department
• Identifies trends which indicate whether staff services and operations are effectively meeting policies and procedures
September 2003-September 2004
• Conduct searches and provide services for birth family and/or adopted persons
• Interpret and apply adoption law, policy, and procedures
• Maintain adoption and post adoption files
• Analyze and maintain integrity of records
Teacher, Fieldstone Farms Kinder Care Learning Center -
July 2002-August 2003
• Responsible for implementing curriculum.
• Responsible for monitoring cognitive, language, motor, social, and self-care development of two-year-old population.
• Responsible for providing activities that enhance cognitive, language, motor, social, and self-care development.
• Responsible for teaching reading program to pre-K population.
Speech-Language Pathologist, Bay Area Rehabilitation Early Intervention Program –
July 2001-June 2002
• Responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of communication, cognitive, and/or swallowing disorders in the birth to three populations. Clients consisted of a variety of diagnoses, such as PDD, Autism, Cleft Lip and Palate, Hearing-Impaired, etc.
• Acted as Service Coordinator (case management) for children and their families.
• Provided intervention through home-based programs.
• Worked directly with parents during therapy sessions to ensure carryover, and provide home programs.
• Transitioned clients into appropriate education program by their third birthday.
• Developed IEP’s
• Supervised speech-language assistant.
• Provided community resources to low income families.
Speech-language Pathologist, United Cerebral Palsy Foundation
July 2000 – February 2001
• Responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of communication, cognitive, and/or swallowing disorders in children ages birth to eighteen years old.
• Worked with a variety of populations such as Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, Autism, PDD, etc.
• Provided outpatient therapy for infants, children, and adolescents.
• Provided in-clinic therapy for infants and toddlers in the UCP Early Intervention program (classroom, nursery).
• Worked directly with classroom teachers of the Early Intervention Program on a daily basis to provide education and training on the speech, language, and cognitive needs of the children in the classroom.
• Collaborated with classroom teachers on setting appropriate classroom goals for each child.
• Provided home programs for parents/caregivers of children with speech-language, cognitive, and or swallowing deficits.
Speech-Language Pathologist, Beverly Rehabilitation/Beverly Healthcare
September 1992 – July 2000
• Responsible for diagnosis and treatment of communication and cognitive disorders in pediatric and adult populations.
• Responsible for diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders in both adult and pediatric populations.
• Responsible for the development and implementation of Functional Maintenance Programs for patients with dementia, and their caregivers.
• Provided speech-language services for Skilled Nursing Facilities, Home Health Agencies, Assisted Living Facilities, and Outpatient programs.
• Provided training to nursing staff, caregivers, and families in the management of individuals with communication, cognitive, and swallowing disorders.
• Provided Specialty Evaluations for the Office of Disability Determinations – Assessed and provided reports on speech-language skills of children/adolescents applying for benefits.
• Provided community awareness on hearing loss for senior citizens, along with free hearing screens.
• Developed and implemented marketing tools (i.e. brochures, newsletter) for speech-language programs.
• Supervised graduate students and speech assistants.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders, Murray State University – 1988
Master of Science in Communication Disorders, Murray State University - 1990
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