Adoption Rhode Island to Honor Indian-American Professor Jayashree Nimmagadda

June 12 :
At their Children First And Always Awards Luncheon on June 27, the Centre for Advanced Practice in Rhode Island will recognise the distinguished leadership of Indian-American academic Jayashree Nimmagadda. During her twenty years as a social work professor at Rhode Island College (RIC), Nimmagadda was widely acknowledged for her work in addressing the needs of underserved communities through initiatives that promoted social justice and increased access to culturally competent social work services.

Strong leadership was on display during her time as interim dean of the School of Social Work at RIC, where she oversaw efforts to boost enrollment and guarantee equal access to social work education and employment for students from underrepresented groups, especially those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour (BIPOC), and/or multilingual.

Nimmagadda was a driving force for innovation in the social work school throughout her time there, launching a slew of grant-funded and interdisciplinary projects. Her efforts to build RIC's Atrévete Centre of Excellence for Latinx/Hispanic Social Work Practice were recently funded by a grant. By 2027, the centre hopes to have added 55 bilingual providers to Rhode Island's behavioural healthcare workforce, helping to meet the mental health requirements of the Latinx community in the state.

The work of Nimmagadda was lauded by Darlene Allen, CEO and director of Adoption Rhode Island. Allen expressed real appreciation for her connections, innovative projects, dedication to equity, accessible emphasis, and ongoing readiness to find new ways to help students and customers be successful. The enhanced Adoption and Foster Care certificate programme is one area where Nimmagadda and Adoption Rhode Island have had a significant effect through their partnership.