Featured | Health Education and Human Sciences | NewsMay 20, 2025

100 Families Partnership Personal to UAFS Chancellor

Written By: Tina Alvey Dale

“When you think of a university chancellor, a few things probably come to mind: high education, and likely, wealth,” said Dr. Terisa Riley, chancellor of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, in a room crowded with social workers, law enforcement officials, and nonprofit workers, as the university announced a new partnership with 100 Families, aiming to drastically impact the lives of families in crisis.

“But like so many of the families we serve, that wasn’t my story.”

Riley described her upbringing in a home that was strong and stable but critically impacted by poverty. “We were poor,” she said.

She was the first in her family to attend college, worked multiple jobs while in school, and forged a path for her siblings.

But decades later, when she found herself struck by poverty again, raising four children alone while pursuing her Ph.D., she found the struggle with pride took a front seat.

“As a single mom, I was waiting tables, not making $10,000 a year, trying to finish my Ph.D. so that my kids could have a better life. I remember the embarrassment and the shame and the guilt that I felt the day I went to sign up for Women, Infants and Children,” she said. “I remember feeling like I was a failure as a mom.”

But learning how to accept that help made her a better mother to her children.

“Not only was I feeding my children, but more importantly, it was making sure that they had stability. It was making sure that they had a chance,” Riley said.

She said sometimes, the best investment a parent can make is in themselves so they can better provide for their children and move from crisis to stability. Empowering that transition is the mission of 100 Families.

Riley closed her speech by describing the unique way UAFS serves its community and how seamlessly this partnership will integrate with the university’s newest addition, the Center for Nonprofits at the Bakery District.

“This partnership is incredibly meaningful, as it will allow the Department of Social Work to deepen its role in helping individuals," Riley said. “It also strengthens our mission to serve this community, providing the citizens of the River Valley a hand up when they need it most.”

Beginning July 1, Courtnee Harlan, Sebastian County’s newest 100 Families coordinator, will officially become a staff member in the UAFS Department of Social Work – the same department that will support the CNP’s data analysis, service delivery, and research functions.

The strategy of embedding 100 Families coordinators in leading community organizations aims to create a robust community network of support. Harlan’s position will be fully funded by a grant from Restore Hope.

During her portion of the announcement, Harlan explained that UAFS has long been a champion of 100 Families, providing interns, meeting space, job training programs, and invaluable insight into community-wide ideas.

“That’s not something that happens everywhere. That’s the power of partnership, and that is the strength of this alliance,” Harlan said.

She also gave a shout-out to two UAFS social work students, Randelle Pickens and Sherillitta McKinney, who she said have already made a significant impact in the field. Both are non-traditional students and working mothers.

Pickens’ 17-year-old son will graduate from high school in spring 2026, the same time she will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in social work.

McKinney is the single mother of two sons, ages 25 and 15.

“I started with 100 Families in July 2022. I started class at UAFS that August. I’ve always wanted to do social work. I’ve always enjoyed working with people and helping them, even when I really didn’t realize it was actually social work. It was really just kind of a lifestyle for me,” McKinney said.

She said that not only does she love the social work program, but it has also taught her to balance her commitments with navigating life as a single mom.

“Those jobs don’t end. My professors have been excellent in giving insight on how to do that. Learning time management has been very critical,” McKinney said, noting that it is something that can be passed on to all the families in 100 Families.

The 100 Families Initiative began as a conversation in a UAFS boardroom more than a decade ago and now operates in 19 Arkansas counties and has expanded as far as Michigan and Canada. Sebastian County, selected as the pilot site in 2019 due to critical challenges in incarceration and foster care, has since seen measurable reductions in both.

The effort, which includes nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, and schools, focuses on using the resources of all groups to help individuals and families find stability through housing, employment, education, transportation, mental health care, and other key services.

Progress is measured using HopeHub, a collaborative case management system that allows service providers to track family outcomes in real time. FS has long been a champion of 100 Families, providing interns, meeting space, job training programs and invaluable insight into community-wide ideas.

“That’s not something that happens everywhere. That’s the power of partnership, and that is the strength of this alliance,” Harlan said.

She also gave a shout-out to two UAFS social work students, Randelle Pickens and Sherillitta McKinney, who she said have already made a major impact in the field. Both are non-traditional students and working mothers.

Pickens’ 17-year-old son will graduate from high school in spring 2026, the same time she will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in social work.

McKinney is the single mother of two sons – ages 25 and 15.

“I started with 100 Families in July 2022. I started class at UAFS that August. I’ve always wanted to do social work. I’ve always enjoyed working with people and helping them, even when I really didn’t realize it was actually social work. It was really just kind of a lifestyle for me,” McKinney said.

She said not only does she love the social work program, but it also has taught her to balance her commitments with  navigating life and being a single mom.

“Those jobs don’t end. My professors have been excellent in giving insight on how to do that. Learning time management has been very critical,” McKinney said, noting that it is something that can be passed on to all the families in 100 Families.

The 100 Families Initiative began as a conversation in a UAFS boardroom more than a decade ago and now operates in 19 Arkansas counties and has expanded as far as Michigan and Canada. Sebastian County, selected as the pilot site in 2019 due to critical challenges in incarceration and foster care, has since seen measurable reductions in both.

The effort, which includes nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, and schools, focuses on using the resources of all groups to help individuals and families find stability through housing, employment, education, transportation, and mental health care, and other key services.

Progress is measured using HopeHub, a collaborative case management system that allows service providers to track family outcomes in real time.

• Tags:
• 100 Families
• Restore Hope
• Bachelor of Social Work