Rachel Meriwether, MSW Skokie,

Transcription

1 Rachel, MSW Skokie, Professional Experience University of Chicago, Chicago, IL Community Relations Specialist, Workforce Development Coordinator, Lindau Laboratory, University of Chicago Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (August, 2014-Present) Manage outreach relationships, i.e. community agency partners, under the South Side Health and Vitality Studies CommunityRx, HealtheRx Program. Care Coordination for comprehensive wellness, involving medical, social, and community resource referrals. Design and/or assist in program and protocol development. Organize and facilitate meetings across the university and the community. Research and writing to advance projects in areas including, but not limited to: Care Coordination, Sex Education, Urban Health, Health Policy, HIV/AIDS, and Social Determinants of Health, from design through implementation. Conduct literature reviews and presentations for internal teams and in preparation for presentation to community stakeholders. Conduct phone surveys with community based service providers. Develop ontologies. Work in conjunction with MAPSCorp project, which involves the training and oversight of university students. Daily review of metrics for analytical purposes and their relationships with targets. Assist in grant writing and compliance. Participate in funding and budgetary discussions and decisions. Supervise team of minimally four employees at all times, with higher volume depending upon projects. Train and evaluate staff. Manage sensitive information and complex issues with the highest level of professional integrity. Data collection and analysis; Design and maintain excel data tracking sheets. Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Clinical Instructor, Master of Social Work Program (October, 2013-August, 2014) Supervised MSW students in field placement. Advised students in academic development and course selection. Prepared and facilitated lectures, trainings, and assignments for graduate students. Maintained communication with graduate faculty members about student learning goals and progress. Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, New Orleans, LA Mitigation Specialist, Investigator (September, 2012-August 2014) Conducted mitigation investigations on both state and federal capital cases, in both pre-trial and post-conviction phases. 1

2 Counseled in death penalty cases and the Supplementary Guidelines for the Mitigation Function. Designed and conducted social history, adaptive functioning, and guilt phase investigations. Collaborated with additional experts beyond the core legal team, such as mental health, medical, and cultural experts. Prepared legal documents including, but not limited to prieur (Prior Bad Acts, LA) responses, motions, statements, and affidavits. Project management and development, internally and in collaboration with partner agencies and offices. Interviewed clients and witnesses. Multi-systems mediation, involving clients and their families, legal teams, media, courts, prisons, and numerous public and private entities. Kept abreast of legislative matters and case law concerning related public policy. Drafted reports and memorandums to legal teams on research and investigation findings. Trained new staff in interviewing skills and fieldwork. Member of the intern selection committee and intern supervisor. o Recruited both domestic and international students. o Corresponded with prospective law students and reprieve interns/volunteers/externs/fellows and managed logistics for upcoming placements. o Advised students in career development. o Developed and delivered meaningful training and facilitated educational opportunities for students. o Facilitated integration into client teams. o Coordinated student assignments to ensure that staff needs were being met and that quantity and quality of work met expectations for production and accuracy. o Ensured that students were properly supervised and supported in order to maximize their productivity and enhance their overall experience. Media and crisis management. Legal and legislative research. Facilitated conflict resolution. Acted as a liaison between legal teams and government offices, including State and Federal Public Defender and US and States Attorney Offices. Mitigation Group, Chicago, IL Owner, Senior Mitigation Specialist (June, 2010-September, 2012) Conducted mitigation investigations on both Non-Capital and Capital cases. Counseled in death penalty cases and the Supplementary Guidelines for the Mitigation Function. Interviewed clients and witnesses. Multi-systems mediation, involving clients and their families, legal teams, media, courts, prisons, and numerous public and private entities. Collected, analyzed, and preserved evidence. Collaborated with additional experts beyond the core defense team, such as mental health, medical, and cultural experts. Drafted reports and memorandum for legal teams on research and investigation findings. 2

3 Keep abreast of legislative matters and case law concerning related public policy. Appeared before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board requesting recommendation of Executive Clemency on behalf of clients. Outcome: Clemency Granted. Conducted research and data analysis. Contracted with state public defender offices. Performed pro-bono services for non-profit legal aid organizations. Conducted seminars and lectures with the purposes of educating students on capital mitigation, legal social work, and advocacy and the legislative process. Creticos Infections Disease Associates and Travel Clinic, Chicago, IL Patient Services Assistant, (July, 2009-September, 2009 & August, 2011-Present) Check-in and room patients. Record vital statistics. Prepare patients for meeting with providers about infectious disease test results, primarily HIV/AIDS, and treatment plans. DePaul University Office of Students with Disabilities, Chicago, IL Assistant Coordinator (August 2009-July, 2010) Provided accommodation and support to over 300 students with physical, learning, and behavioral health disabilities and chronic illnesses. Ensured university compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Advised students in academic development and course selection. Worked directly with students as well as served as a liaison between students, professors, and other university offices, including conducting seminars for faculty and staff. Piloted the Workforce Recruitment Project with the US State Department, assisting students in internship placement and employment with an 80% success rate in placing students, over the national average of 30%. Supervised OSD student staff in project management. Counseled new students and parents. Student Conduct Management. Northwestern University School of Law Bluhm Legal Clinic, Chicago, IL Center on Wrongful Convictions Clinical Intern (September, 2009-June, 2010) Assisted in preparing clemency petitions and appeals. Interviewed clients and others related to clemency petitions and appeals. Assisted in expulsion hearings and mediation in both mainstream and alternative schools. Facilitated reentry services for exonerees represented by the Innocence Project. Catholic Charities Office of Refugee Resettlement, Chicago, IL Job Developer, (April, 2008-September, 2009) Provided individual and group counseling for refugees in securing and maintaining employment in the United States. Triaged behavioral health issues that presented and referred clients accordingly. Case management of over 200 clients. 3

4 Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, Chicago, IL MSW Clinical Intern, (September, 2008-June, 2009) Conducted group, individual, and family counseling sessions in an intensive outpatient dualdiagnosis facility. Designed individual treatment plans for patients and their support systems. Provided care coordination services. Conducted intake, progress, and step-down assessments. Heartland Human Care Services, Intl. Youth Center, Chicago, IL Clinical Social Work Intern, (September, February, 2008) Conducted individual and group therapy sessions with unaccompanied refugee minors with criminal records in a residential facility, while working in conjunction with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, International Children s Center, Immigration and Customs, and other social service and immigration agencies. Developed and implemented treatment plans. Education DePaul University, Chicago, IL Masters of Social Work (MSW), June 2010 Emphasis in Community Practice o Human Behavior and Development o Behavioral Health o Policy and Legislation o Project Management o Grant Writing and Fundraising o Program Analysis Awarded Outstanding Service Award 2010 by DePaul University Master of Social Work Student Association Developed and managed university-wide Haitian Relief Effort Fundraiser in response to the earthquake in Haiti, forging sustainable relationships with departments across the university for future fundraising efforts. Villanova University, Villanova, PA Graduate Certification, Acting, May 2002 Member of Graduate Student Senate Three time selected graduate show case and recruitment performer Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock, PA Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, May, 2000 Studied Abroad, Seville, Spain, 1998 Varsity Women s Soccer Team Professional Affiliations and Licensing National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialist National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty 4

5 National Legal Aid and Defender Association Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty o Participated in the lobby of Illinois legislature, leading to death penalty abolition in March, 2011 Continuing Education/Special Skills/Other Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Certification, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2014 Excel Data Management, i.e. pivot tables, formulas and functions Completed HIPPA Training, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2014 Capital Defender Training Developing the Case for Life, Louisiana Public Defender Board, New Orleans, LA, 2013 Capital Mitigation Skills Workshop, Administrative Office of the US Courts, Atlanta, GA, 2012 Sister Helen Prejean, Social Justice and the Three Deepest Wounds of Society, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, 2012 Annual Seminar of the Development and Integration of Mitigation Evidence, Administrative Offices of the US Courts, Chicago, IL, 2011 Clarence Darrow Death Penalty Defense College, under the direction of Andrea Lyon, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, IL,