Kellee was born and raised in southern California, and she moved to Iowa after her husband took a job at the University of Iowa. Not long after, she completed two master’s degrees, one in public health in the UI College of Public Health and an MSW from UI’s School of Social Work.
When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, Kellee took it as a sign that it was time for a change in her career.
When Kellee heard of the opening for a training director at the National Resource Center (NRC), she felt it was time to go and she applied and became the new training director for NRC. She also became an adjunct professor in the School of Social Works and to continue her passion or educating future generations of social workers. “It’s the best of both worlds because I get to do what I love, work on projects and teach!,” Kellee said.
Working as the training director for Thorburn McCrory means the act of balancing multiple grants and projects simultaneously. One of her current grants is with the Iowa Peer Workforce Collaborative, where she creates training curricula for peer/family support specialists, recovery coaches, and peers with lived experiences. The goal is to train these individuals to notice the smallest details, as well as make genuine connections with patients, social workers, doctors, and everyone involved in the process of mental health treatment.
Another grant she has been making progress on is with PFS-PAM, which is a public health grant working in seven different Iowa counties to lower the drinking rate of individuals aged forty-five and over.
Delving into the other side of Kellee’s career, being an adjunct professor fulfills her passion for education and specifically being a teacher and mentor. She credits her students as they make the classroom an incubator for learning. Her favorite aspect of teaching is getting to engage with students in the classroom. Having engaging and thought-provoking discussions in class is a priority for her in the classroom.
Kellee is also thrilled to be teaching a first-year seminar this coming fall for freshman students, entitled “Agents of Change: Adventures in Social Work.” She has planned guest speakers, various exercises, and many activities that she is hoping will engage her future students and lead them to consider a career in the field of social work.
“If I can get even five students engaged and critically thinking, and even thinking about going into the field, I feel like I have done my job,” Kellee shared.