Thirty executives from youth serving organizations from across Indiana have been selected to The 2018 Executive Journey Fellowship. In response to a growing need for ongoing professional and personal renewal in the field of youth work, the Journey Fellowship was created in 2002 and funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. The Executive Journey Fellowship provides Indiana’s youth workers greater opportunities to bring more meaning to their lives and make stronger commitments to the field of youth work.
“This Fellowship is about renewing individuals, which leads to renewing organizations and ultimately, to renewing the entire field of youth work,” says Tom Plake, Journey Leader.
Each of the thirty participants in the Journey Fellowship will attend a series of residential retreats designed to create new ways of thinking about and practicing youth work within existing systems and youth programs. Fellows are awarded personal renewal scholarships, and will be supported to make a difference within their local organizations and communities.
So far, the Journey Fellowship has served more than 900 prospective and current youth workers (2003-2017) through this retreat-based format. Fellows are engaged in creating exploration and renewal opportunities throughout the state of Indiana. Countless other youth workers have been served through conference workshops, day-long seminars, and other types of renewal for staff and organizations within local communities facilitated by Journey Leaders.
“We know that youth workers play a vital role in the lives of young people. It has been documented in dozens of ways that youth who enjoy positive relationship with adults over time do better in life,” explains Janet Wakefield, Journey Leader. “We also know that many people enter the profession because they ‘want to make a difference’ and they enjoy building positive relationships with young people. The Executive Journey Fellowship provides Indiana’s youth workers greater opportunities to strengthen themselves as leaders and invest in their careers serving the young people of Indiana.”
Congratulations
2018 Executive Journey Fellows!
The Journey is pleased and honored to announce the 30 distinguished Indiana leaders in the field of youth development who have been nominated and selected to be the sixteenth class of The Executive Journey Fellowship.
Batesville
Jodi Alexander
Early Childhood Coordinator, One Community One Family
Bloomington
Allison Howland
Director of Center for Collaborative Systems Change, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Columbus
John Nickoll
Program Director, Advocates for Children
Delphi
Jennifer Johnson
Local Office Director, Indiana Department of Child Services
Evansville
Derek McKillop
Grant Manager, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
Renate Stephens
Community Resource Specialist Supervisor, Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.
Franklin
Jessica Bissey
Clinical Psychologist Supervisor, Adult and Child Health
Gary
Twan Stokes
Lake County Deputy Director, Indiana Department of Child Services
Goshen
Menessah Nelson
Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Elkhart County
Granger
Jennifer Deranek
Program Director, Girls on the Run Michiana; Clinical Assistant Professor, IU South Bend
Indianapolis
Regina Ashley
Interim Commissioner and Chief Operations Officer, Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Sirrilla Blackmon
Deputy Director, FSSA-Division of Mental Health & Addiction
Michael Coleman
Unit Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis
Doug Cope-Barnes
Evaluation Project Manager, Health Care Education and Training, Inc.
Robin Donaldson
Chief Operations Officer, Indiana Youth Services Association
Rachael Fisher
Executive Director/COO, Community Health Network
Marc McAleavey
Executive Director, Serve Indiana
Keith Monfreda
Associate Director of Program Services, AYS, Inc.
Sarah Reynolds
Manager of School Age Program Support, Early Learning Indiana
Peggy Surbey
Regional Manager, Indiana Department of Child Services
Melanie Walker
Northwest Indiana Outreach Manager, Indiana Youth Institute
Nancy Wever
Director, Indiana Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative
Amy Watts
Clinical Consultant, Indiana Department of Child Services
Lawrenceburg
Sandra Ante
Local Office Director, Indiana Department of Child Services
Louisville
Melanie Cox
Director of Leadership Development, YMCA of Greater Louisville
Merrillville
Nicholas Neal
Director, Geminus Corporation
Palmyra
Stephanie Rex
District Coordinator, Blue River Services, Inc.
Portage
Brian Harvey
Project Director, A Positive Approach to Teen Health
South Bend
Christy Burgess
Shakespeare Outreach Director, Robinson Community Learning Center, Notre Dame
Wabash
Bill Barrows
Director, Wabash County YMCA
