The Emotional Weight Youth Workers Carry If you spend any time working in youth programs, you can spot burnout from a mile away. It is the counselor who arrives with […]
Why Youth Workers are Burning Out and How Leaders Can Help
From the Blog
The Jordan Institute's blog features the voices of emerging and seasoned leaders on a variety of topics including current events, new programs, big ideas - elevating what matters to them as they work to make change for families in North Carolina and beyond.
From the Blog
The Power of Purpose
Purpose is the connection between an individual’s values, belief systems, and their contributions to the greater good of society. It is the guiding intention that provides direction and fulfillment. It’s […]
Thinking, Feeling, Leading: How CBT Principles Can Transform Social Work Leadership
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches are based on the idea that there is an influential cycle among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It was designed to help […]
Matt Sullivan’s Path to Leadership
Matt Sullivan’s unconventional career in social work began in the police force, shifted to earning a Master of Social Work degree (MSW), working with student athletes, and ultimately led to […]
Sherenne Simon talks with us about her new book
Own Your Influence: An Unconventional Journey to Making an Impact at Work In a video interview with links below, Jordan Institute Advisory Group Member and CEO of Global Simon Group, […]
Working Across Difference: The Work of a Social Worker and Rotary Peace Fellow
“Perhaps now more than ever, the idea of coming into direct contact with radically different viewpoints– political perspectives, policy approaches, ethical stances– feels more real, more present, and more threatening […]
JIF Leadership Initiative: Video Conversation with Nora Spencer, MSW
She’s leading the way to bring gender equity to the construction trades Link to the Full Interview here Nora Spencer, a graduate of the UNC School of Social Work MSW […]
JIF Spotlight Video: Insights from Monica Kearney
“Within this movement, everything we touch we change” – Octavia Butler In our webinar on Social Work leadership during uncertain times, we were joined by Monica Kearney, MSW, Executive Director […]
Leadership during Difficult Times – Insights from Marisol Jiménez
“How do we do power differently, not extract, exploit…how do we be regenerative?” With this call to action, Marisol Jiménez, MSW, concluded her remarks for how social workers can lead […]
A Conversation with Caregiving Researcher Dr. Erin Kent
Most of us will either give or receive caregiving support during our lifetimes. In fact, caregiving is a reality for 1 in 5 U.S. adults according to 2018 CDC data. […]
Caregiving Common Ground
Caregiving across the lifecourse happens in many different forms, intensity and time frames. While caring for people with serious illnesses and people who are aging is getting much needed attention, […]
Reimagine Rest
The idea of “rest” in the professional world is often synchronous with “need to take a day off”. While this is often certainly true, how many times have you taken […]
Building on History to Shape the Future
“History equips us not to predict the future but to meet it more wisely.” (R.T. McKenzie, A Little Book for New Historians, 2019, p. 30.) With this quote, Dr. Justin […]
The NC Child Fatality Task Force: A Team of Lifesavers
When social workers discuss the kinds of policies we’d like to see implemented to protect children, it oftentimes seems like a long shot to see any of them come to […]
Overwhelmed? Try This.
With federal, state and local funding in flux and philanthropic / corporate giving less secure, leading nonprofit organizations has been challenging in 2025. Layer on major shifts in language, policy, […]
Balancing Caregiving and Work
There comes a time when those who cared for us, are now the ones needing care. It’s a part of life. We grow, we age, we need work, and we […]
Caregiving Across the Life Course: Building a New Research Initiative
As North Carolina’s population ages and rates of disease and disability rise, the demand for care giving continues to grow. Existing programs and studies primarily focus on care for children […]
Spring Leadership Development Events
We’re excited to share what’s ahead this spring and summer at the Jordan Institute for Families, especially through our Leadership Development Initiative! Check out what’s coming up and how you […]
