Current Board Members:
President: Cheri Koochel
Cheri Koochel. LMSW, is the KSSWA President and is a retired School Social Worker from USD 383, Manhattan KS.
Vice President Teresa Palmer
Past President: Barb Meyer
Secretary: Dani Redd
Dani Redd, LMSW is a Special Education Social Worker for Topeka Public Schools, USD 501. She is also a member of the Legislative Committee for KSSWA.
Co-Treasurer: Becky Hegler
Co-Treasurer: Tracie Chauvin
Tracie Chauvin, LSCSW is the Coordinator of Social Emotional Learning for Kansas City Kansas Public Schools. She serves as the KSSWA co-treasurer.
Membership Chair: Gerri Blaisdell
Member-at-Large: Julie Gomez
Julie (Julia) Gomez, LSCSW is the School Social Worker for St. Marys Schools in USD 321. She has been in her current position since August, 2005. During this time she has also worked PRN for Hospice and the Crisis Stabilization Unit, both in Manhattan, KS. Julie is serving on the Board as Member at Large and is excited to advocate for School Social Work.
Communications Co-Chair: Katie Berry
Katie Berry, LMSW, is the KSSWA Communications Chair. She is a school social worker in USD 261, working with students K-12. She has entered her 11th year working as a school social worker. Outside of working in the school and helping students and their families, Katie enjoys working on her family farm, gardening, being outside and reading a good book!
Communications Co-Chair: Sara Nowak
Legislative Chair: Shelby Burnett
Shelby Burnett, LMSW, is a school social worker at Tonganoxie Elementary School. She is the Legislative Chair and on the KSSWA Board. Shelby has been a school social worker since 2018 and cannot imagine not being apart of the educational field. Shelby and her therapy dog pride themselves on building strong and safe relationships with others.
Professional Development Chair: Kim Stoeber
Northwest Representative: Karen Sullivan
Karen Sullivan, LMSW, is the NW Regional Representative. She works for Colby Public Schools USD 315 as a School Social Worker. Karen moved back to NW Kansas after completing her Masters in Social Work at Washburn University in 2008. She has worked in education as a School Social Worker since 2009
Northeast Co-Representative: Taylor Kehr
My name is Taylor Kehr, LSCSW. I am currently a School Social Worker at Argentine Middle school in Kansas City, KS. This is my 9th year as a Social Worker, and my 5th year in the Kansas City, KS School District, I was in an Elementary school for 3 years prior to coming to Argentine Middle School last year. Before I became a School Social Worker, I worked in child welfare as a Case Manager and an Outpatient Therapist. I am very social and love to talk to anyone, but also love spending my alone time reading and going on walks. My favorite part of Social Work is advocacy. Because we use a person in environment lens to see the world, we are capable of making great change in a person's life and in society as a whole.
Northeast Co-Representative: Jess Sholin
Southwest Co-Representative: Lindsey Sill
Southwest Co-Representative: Carrie Brock
Southeast Co-Representative: Nicole Gilmore
Nicole Gilmore, LMSW, is a School Social Worker with the SEK Interlocal #637 at The Learning Center in Girard, KS servicing students K-12 across 13 districts. She is in her fifth year and is currently working on her principal certification through Pittsburg State University. She serves as a Southeast Regional Representative.
Southeast Co-Representative: Caitlyn Dailey
KSDE Liaison: Shanna Bigler
Shanna Bigler
KSDE Education Program Consultant
Special Education & Title Services
KSSWA KSDE Liaison
Fort Hays Faculty Liaison: Rekala Tuxhorn
Wichita State University Faculty Liaison:
Washburn Faculty Liaison: Kim Harrison
Kansas University Faculty Liaison: Kelly Jones
Newman University Faculty Liaison: Vanessa Rials
Washburn Student Representative: Mandy Hermann
KU Student Representative:
Newman University Student Representative:
WSU Student Representative:
FHSU Student Representative: Bailey Zerger
KSSWA Mission: KSSWA is a professional organization dedicated to promoting school social workers through advocacy, professional development and communication within the profession.
KSSWA History
We were established in 1974 by a group of school social workers and their clients in the educational arena.
Our state association is part of the Midwest School Social Work Council, an eleven state regional organization that works to promote best practice and support social work in education.
KSSWA has a voice in developing policy at the state level, as well as regionally and nationally through our association with the Midwest School Social Work Council and the School Social Work Association of America.
KSSWA's executive board meets four times a year, and we hold a general membership meeting annually.