Social Worker of the Year | NASW North Dakota Chapter

Nancy Kleingartner has been a member of NASW since 1978. She has been a practicing social worker for over 30 years, with the majority of her practice in the child welfare and mental health fields. Nancy founded and directed New Horizons Foreign Adoption Services, Inc., a private, non-profit adoption and child welfare agency for almost 20 years. She was named a Notable North Dakotan by the Bismarck Tribune in 2000 for her adoption work and was nominated by Congressman Earl Pomeroy for and received the Congressional Angel of Adoption award in 1999.

Nancy began teaching social work at the University of Mary in 1996. She strives to bring social work education to life by engaging students in various service learning projects with local agencies and organizations over the years.

helped to design and implement the first program evaluation of Community Action Program’s Teen Court program
assisted the Missouri Valley Coalition for Homeless People in conducting a community needs assessment regarding the needs of homeless/at risk of homelessness in our community
assisted the United Way Senior Vision Council with tabulation and analysis of survey data gathered from Burleigh and Morton county senior citizens
helped conduct point-in-time interviews with local homeless as a part of Project Community
assisted Mark LoMurray with program evaluation of his Sources of Strength adolescent suicide prevention program
assisted Region VII’s Foster Care Coalition in developing and implementing a targeted recruitment campaign for foster parents for teen and Native American foster children and youth

Nancy served as the advisor for the University’s Student Social Work Association and PACS human services organizations for 12 years. She has also taught human services students in the Emerging Leaders Academy for over 8 years. Helping students develop servant leadership potential has been a major goal of both student associations and the Emerging Leaders Academy. Nancy has assisted Emerging Leaders Academy human services students in their annual Human Service Institutes held at the University of Mary. Recent Institute topics have included Cultural Competency in the Professions, Homelessness: Up Close and Personal, and Best Practices and Innovations in Corrections. Institutes have aimed to inform the University community and the larger Bismarck/Mandan communities on relevant human services issues/concerns. Nancy has also assisted junior Emerging Leaders Academy in developing various Focus Leadership Projects that ranged from developing a mentorship program for graduates of Juvenile Drug Court to teaching 7th grade students at Horizon Middle School about the dangers of teen drinking.

Promoting cultural sensitivity and appreciation has been a life-long passion for Nancy. She attended Grambling College, a historical black college in Grambling, Louisiana, on a semester-long exchange program in 1969. Nancy has planned numerous culture picnics and culture camps for adoptive families who have adopted trans-racially and internationally. Nancy has been an advocate for the right of gays and lesbians to adopt. She has taught several classes on human diversity and cultural competence while at the University of Mary. Nancy and a colleague are planning an academic course/trip to India for the academic year 2009/2010. Nancy has served on several University committees to promote greater cultural awareness and appreciation.

Nancy served for 4 years as an officer on the board of directors of The GOD’s CHILD Project and was instrumental in developing a service oriented field experience course at the University that partners University students with service domestic and international service projects of The GOD’s CHILD Project. Nancy is beginning her 5th year as an officer on the board of directors of Welcome House, Inc., a local agency that serves homeless families and single women. Nancy recently joined the board of directors of the Dacotah Foundation. Nancy served on the mayors’ Steering Committee to develop Bismarck/Mandan’s 10-year Plan to End Long-term Homelessness. She was recently asked by Bismarck’s City Planning Department to assist with the effort to “Count Everyone” in the upcoming census.

In 2008, Nancy received the University of Mary Student Government Award for Outstanding Faculty. In December, 2008, she received the Regents’ Award for Teaching Faculty.