Jillian Utley comes to her families with a sincere, genuine approach that is immediately recognized and appreciated by them. A kinship practitioner for a year and a half, Jillian has brought her strengths from her previous work in case management to her newer role in the kinship realm. She strives to be as transparent with her families as possible as they navigate the different processes within the system. Her authentic approach of being herself with her families enables her to talk with them as co-workers and friends while still having the hard conversations.

This philosophy works well, as her nominator noted that Jillian was “immediately easy to speak with. She was transparent and frank about the process. She is always accessible and answered my questions.” Described as sincere, kind and understanding, Jillian is always supportive and responsive to the needs of her kinship families. She is appreciated for her knowledge, ability to advocate and explain processes, relaying that the children are the priority, and her role is to support the family caring for them, and clearly, she does an amazing job at that.