January 2020
In honor of National Mentoring Month, the Leadership Team at Key Assets Kentucky is honoring mentors in their lives who have impacted them positively, or highlighting those they’ve personally mentored or helped excel in their careers.
My previous boss, Lisa Allgood, at Dialysis Clinic, Inc. was a great mentor to me. She started as the Area Operations Director in my second year as a medical social worker at DCI. Lisa, a LCSW and certified in health services administration, noticed my aptitude for supervision and leadership and challenged me to grow in these areas. Lisa promoted me to the Social Worker Supervisor in my third year of employment with DCI and in my individual supervisions with her, helped me realize my true passion for operations and management. Lisa provided me with tools and learning experiences that assisted me in the further development of my skills and supported me in taking the job of Program Director at Key Assets. Lisa continues to be a great mentor and friend.
–Carrie Price, Children in Community Care Director
“I have experienced so many great mentors over the years! My best mentors have seen my strengths, pushed me beyond self-imposed limitations, taught me the importance of accountability, and instilled the desire for continuous growth. Interactions with great mentors can sometimes result in more questions than answers…questions that require you to engage in additional research about various aspects of practice and/or self reflection about how you approach your work. It is my sincerest hope that some of these gifts given to me are passed along as I help mentor the next generation of professionals!”
–Aimee Mau, Clinical Billing Supervisor
“I’d love to share about my mentors AND someone special I’m mentoring.
My best mentors were Mary Ellen McLaughlin and Dan Langer.
She was a masters level counselor and was director of Trio Services at Berea in the 90’s. I worked for Upward Bound for 5 semesters and 5 summers between ‘92 and ‘96. I probably would not have gone to grad school in ‘94 without her influence.
Dan Langer was the treatment director at the Methodist Home. He was a guiding force in supervising me for my LPCC and helping to develop my clinical skills.
Currently I am supervising Nick Davis, LPCA for his LPCC credential. Nick is very intelligent and enthusiastic about his work. I have learned a lot from this experience and hopefully I am helping to equip a professional mental health clinician in the same way others helped me.”
–Royce Gilpin, Quality Assurance Manager
“I would consider my former employer from my high school years to be my most influential professional mentor. He urged me to attend college and continue on to graduate school where I earned my MSW. Thanks to his encouragement, I conquered my fears of leaving home and embarked on a life-changing adventure where I grew both personally and professionally.”
–Phyllis Leigh, Behavioral Health Director
“Throughout my social work career I have had a number of mentors who have shaped my social work practice and beliefs and shown me the courage and determination you must have to fight for those who need a voice. I always felt ‘at home’ in social work because I truly shared the values and ethics of social work. As I began to take on leadership roles, I learned I was most comfortable in a #2 position – Associate Director, Program Director. To be honest, I was not confident in my abilities to take on the Key Assets Kentucky Executive Director position in 2017, however, Estella Abraham, then Key Assets Group CEO, would not take no for an answer. She did not just push me into the position and leave me on my own; she gave me the confidence, skills, support and resources I needed to be successful in this new role. Mentoring had to be a bit more creative as she lived in the UK but she provided much needed guidance through Skype calls, phone calls, emails and texts. One of the most valuable lessons she taught me from her own experience is how important it is to be present with the people you care about. It is easy in our busy work world to carry that over to home but when you are with family and friends, be present. To this day, Estella Abraham continues to be my mentor and my go-to person when I need sound advice as well as reminders of life’s priorities.”
— Jennifer Hall, Executive Director
“In August of 2014, I began my practicum under Jennifer Hall and knew instantly she would have a great impact on my future both personally and professionally. Jennifer has always supported me, provided me with growth opportunities and encouraged me to push myself in order to meet my personal and professional goals. Jennifer provides guidance in a constructive manner and because of her approach to supervising, I have always felt safe in my efforts to succeed in the field of HR. I consider Jennifer a wonderful mentor and hope to one day inspire others as she has inspired me. ”
— Lisa Gibson, Human Resources Manager