The Exceptional Staff Award honors and celebrates the valuable efforts staff members make toward supporting the mission of the department and upholding our core values of collaboration, continuous learning and mentorship, and integrity and accountability. We had four outstanding nominees this year: Christina Clayton, LICSW, CDP, program manager of the Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (NW-MHTTC); Mollie Forrester, MSW, LICSW, Director of Patient and Family Experience; Kelcey Schmitz, MSEd, MTTS/School Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance Specialist; and Joey Stanton, a beloved colleague at the HaRRT Center. This year’s award went to Mollie Forrester.

Mollie was nominated by the faculty of the Trauma Recovery Innovations (TRI) program, who included this excerpt in their nomination packet: “In Mollie’s relatively short tenure in our department, she has become an incredibly valued member of our Department. She serves as a liaison between families and patients seeking or receiving mental healthcare as well as managing our team of mental health navigators. In this capacity, Mollie’s role is to help bridge the gap between individuals (and families) and providers. Prior to having Mollie in this role, this gap seemed nearly impossible to bridge given the amount of need for services and limited capacity. Mollie’s wealth of knowledge around options for mental health care, and her warmth, empathy, and exceptional interpersonal skills have increased access to mental health care for so many in our community. Once one sees Mollie in action, it is easy to see why she excels in this position and why there is cause to for optimism about our ultimate ability to serve the community’s mental health needs.”

Congratulations to all our nominees!