Nicholas Long, Ph.D. Award for Leadership in and Professional Development in the Home Visiting Field

What is the Nicholas Long Leadership Award?

The Annual Nicholas Long Ph.D. Award for Leadership and Professional Development in the Home Visiting Field recognizes an individual advancing professional development while also creating solutions to issues facing Arkansas families.

Who is eligible to win?

We welcome nominations of individuals in a supervisory and/or training role submitted by the model leads from the following models in Arkansas: HIPPY, SafeCare Arkansas, Healthy Families America, Nurse-Family Partnership, Early Head Start Home Visiting, Head Start Home Visiting, Parents as Teachers, Family Connects Union County, and Following Baby Back Home. The award selection committee designated the model leads to nominate leaders as the model leads are well-acquainted with the nominee and can describe their alignment with the award criteria. These nominators are familiar with the nominee’s model requirements and can describe how their approach is unique from their colleagues as well as describe how they or their peers have been affected by the nominee’s work.

What happens when someone wins?

The award recipient will receive a certificate, a small prize, and an acknowledgment at the AHVN Annual Conference.

For additional information contact Jodie Dailey at [email protected]

2024 Winner: Donna Johnson, BASW, CGFDonna Johnson has been employed with Arkansas Children's Hospital for over 19 years and continues to go above and beyond to provide services to families, leadership, training and technical assistance to staff.  Donna's current role of AHVN trainer allows her to develop and implement trainings to ensure programs receive professional development and model implementation.  Donna has assisted with creating a "new HIPPY coordinators cohort" to help walk new coordinators through the first year in their new role. Donna also trains all new HIPPY home visitors, demonstrates how role play should be completed and trains multiple models in ASQ's. Donna provides her expertise to anyone needing assistance, she participates on several committees, provides national conference workshops, and continues to serve as a HIPPY US national trainer where she has been called upon to ensure model fidelity implementation in other states.  Donna has great facilitation skills and thrives on "team work" Together Everyone Achieves More.  Donna is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and offer a helping hand, she has proven time and time again that no task is to big or to small for her. Donna will set up an event, assist during the event, clean up the event without compliant.  Donna is creative and she is often the mastermind behind presentations provided by HIPPY, AR.  Donna has completed several trainings, and certification courses and will use the knowledge she has learned to help others.  Donna has a heart for home visiting with a passion to serve others.

There are not enough words to describe Donna's contributions to the field of home visiting.  Donna is normally the last one to leave the office, or the last one to log off her computer as she will not leave a job undone.  There have been countless times when Donna is up editing documents and sending emails at 2:00am as she can not sleep until the task is complete. Donna's current role allows her to assist the HIPPY, AR team however, Donna has been called upon to offer assistance to several models across AHVN.  In a world where "nothing is constant except change", Donna continues to learn new skills, new data bases, new technology and she continues to share her knowledge with others.  Donna wants everyone to win and ultimately wants the families in Arkansas to receive the best in service.

Donna makes the HIPPY team better because she is not afraid to step up and help.  As stated earlier there is no task to big or to small.  Donna provides exceptional training and technical assistance to all HIPPY sites in Arkansas.  Donna listens to home visiting staff and often becomes their voice as she will advocate endlessly for home visiting staff.  Donna always finds the good in people, and understands that everyone does not learn the same and therefore she will take different training approaches when needed.  Donna has offered one on one instruction to individuals, drove to sites and set up virtual calls to provide equity in training.  Donna leads with an "open-door" policy and is always willing to answer a call, email or text.  Donna has assisted in cross model training and believes in collaboration within AHVN.

2024 Nominees:

Alta Jones, AHVN

Donna Johnson, BASW, CGF HIPPY/AHVN

Nelly Valentin Mercado, B.B.A., PAT

Amy Jo Grissom, HIPPY/AHVN

Cody Burnett, MPH, UAMS

Tiffiny Walker, SafeCare

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2023 Winner: Marguerite Norman Flannigan, M.Ed.

Marguerite provides leadership to one of the biggest home visiting programs in the state of Arkansas. She currently supervises three Home Visiting models: HIPPY, PAT and the newly added SafeCare. Marguerite is able to provide expertise to all 3 models without diminishing model fidelity and most importantly she advocates for the families in her community. Every year with the help of her staff, ARESC partners with a national health organization to provide an annual health clinic for families in the community. The health clinic helps provide resources, prevent diseases by advocating for immunizations, and reduce health disparities. Marguerite also partners with additional nonprofit organizations to help meet the needs of families in her community. Marguerite is instrumental in linking families with resources and helps families build a learning library for their children. Marguerite truly loves her community and lives by her favorite quote: "When you learn, teach. When you get, give" Maya Angelou.

Marguerite makes the HIPPY team better because she continues to advocate for home visiting! She has a thirst for knowledge, and wants to make sure her program maintains model accreditation and funding by ensuring all non-negotiables are met. Marguerite is knowledgeable, stays aware of of changes, and is able to communicate those changes to her staff. She also ensures that her staff has proper training by providing intensive professional development throughout the year. Marguerite comes up with unique ways/ competitions to motivates her staff , provides moral building activities and lets them know they are appreciated.

Marguerite leaves a positive impression on everyone she meets and she does not meet a stranger. Marguerite is educated having received a bachelor of Arts with honors in business administrations/accounting with an emphasis in education from Southern Arkansas University. She also received a Masters of Arts in teaching with honors, in business education and special education, and a Masters of Arts in Education, in early childhood and curriculum instruction from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Marguerite loves her family, she is a wife and a mother and a proud member of the oldest African American Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated where she currently serves as the graduate advisor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Marguerite is natural born leader and takes early childhood development to heart. She joined Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) in 2008. Her leadership, dedication, and handwork has been on display which has led to her promotion to Home Visitor Coordinator for 2 additional programs PAT and Safecare. Marguerite stays busy working and advocating for her community however her work never diminishes.