Jeanne Drake Ward, MA, LMSW has over 15 years experience working with diverse populations such as individuals suffering from mental health issues, substance abuse and physical illnesses.  She has spent the past 8 years managing programs that served the homeless, welfare recipients with disabilities and mentally ill individuals caught up in the criminal justice system.

Jeanne most recently was working as a Social Work Lead/Social Worker with APS Healthcare’s Georgia Medicaid Management Program.  She assisted Medicaid recipients who suffer from chronic conditions with community resources.   Jeanne’s passion is training and she has delivered presentations to direct care staff on topics such as “Working with Substance Abusing Clients”, “Suspected Abuse and Neglect: Being a Mandated Reporter”, Cultural Transitions: From Incarceration to Community” and “Motivational Interviewing”.

Jeanne moved to Atlanta, Georgia from New York City just over two years ago.  Prior to this move, she had been living in NYC for 13 years.  During her time in New York City, she never had a problem finding employment in her field and often found herself in fantastic positions and developing new programs.  In moving to Atlanta, she found that it took longer than expected to find work.  This is when she realized the importance of networking.  It was easy at first to blame her inability to find a new position on being an outsider.  She soon realized that this was the problem and the solution.  She was a stranger to this area, but she also learned that this was going to lead her to the solution.  Jeanne learned the fine art of networking real quickly!  In looking back to her career growth in NYC, she realized that it was through her strong network and the relationships that she had built there that continued to get her wonderful positions.

Jeanne has created the Social Service Career Network with the NASW Georgia Chapter to help other Social Workers in Georgia in their networking goals.  It is her hope that this group helps others to meet, grow and to continue to “pay it forward” so that all Social Workers in our state have all the professional opportunities that they desire.