Senior Leadership Initiative

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Class of 2002 Participants

Nancy M. Hall is currently an independent trainer and consultant with Outcomes Unlimited in Winston-Salem. She retired in December 1999 as a Regional Trainer in the N.C. Division of Social Services. She developed a training expertise in a range of administrative, supervisory, and direct service topics. Nancy's social work career began in 1955 with the Forsyth County Department of Social Services and she has served in a variety of direct service and administrative positions with that agency as well as the UNC School of Social Work, the Children's Home Society in Winston-Salem, and the Division of Social Services. Her accomplishments in the area of aging include supervising the Special Project on Aging, located in the Forsyth DSS. This was one of the first of its kind- developing new services such as Meals on Wheels and use of homemakers for the elderly, partnering with community agencies and businesses to meet needs of the elderly. She also developed and taught the first course on Social Work with the Aging at the UNC School of Social Work, and she taught several different courses in the various summer symposiums on aging. Since her retirement Nancy has served as the alternate delegate to the Senior Tarheel Legislature from Forsyth County and as a representative on the Region I Area Agency Advisory Council. She is a recipient of the Governor's Order of the Long Leaf Pine award. She is conducting research on the viability of the instinct to enhance the well being of the elderly. Her project will involve working with Forsyth County's Aging Planning Advisory Committee in redevelopment and updating of their aging plan.

Rita Spina is a retired PhD psychologist living in the Fearrington community in Chatham County. She tells us her work experience really began as mother to four children during which time she taught as an undergraduate psychology instructor at Hofstra University. She went on to complete her doctoral work and worked for 16 years as the Chief Psychologist with a community school system. She eventually returned to Hofstra as the Director of the Psychological Evaluation and Research Center. Since retiring to North Carolina, Rita has been a very active volunteer with Hospice of Chatham County, the Chatham Coalition for Adolescent Health, the Chatham County HIV/AIDs Coalition, the UNC Hospital Continuity of Care Coalition and on the Board of Chatham Communities in Action. Rita was one of the developers of the Fearrington Home Care Connection-a model public health initiative for residents in Fearrington. Rita's senior leadership project involves expanding the model used in the Home Care Connection to populations less economically fortunate in Chatham County than those in the Fearrington community.

Calvin Underwood retired in February 2001 as the Director of Buncombe County Department of Social Services. He started his social work career in adult services in Durham County DSS in 1974 after completing his master's degree in social work at Chapel Hill. His graduate field placement was with the Durham Coordinating Council for Senior Citizens with Ann Johnson. Prior to his responsibilities in Buncombe County, Calvin served as Director of Social Services in Moore County from 1979 to 1983. Under his leadership, Buncombe County DSS became the first social services department in the state to become accredited. His peers recognized him as the Outstanding DSS Director in 1997. Since his retirement Calvin has remained active as a volunteer with the United Way of Asheville/Buncombe County and the Volunteer Center. He says he looks forward to re-focusing on aging. His project involves building capacity in Asheville to appropriately meet the needs of its aging population particularly with regard to informal caregiving.

Beverly Wheeler retired in 1999 from the Pitt County Department of Social Services after working 30 years as a social worker and adult home specialist. In addition to her work monitoring adult care homes in Pitt County, Beverly has been active in a variety of roles intended to improve the quality of care of residents in the state's long-term care facilities. She has served as president of the NC Adult Foster Care Association and remains a member; she is a board member of Friends of Residents in Long-Term Care; she has testified to the General Assembly's Aging Study Commission about the need for back-up generators in long-term care facilities; and she has worked with Pitt County Government to develop a special medical needs disaster plan. Her senior leadership project will focus on establishing a viable citizen Community Advisory Committee to address the needs of residents in long-term care facilities in Pitt County.