In what ways have you been involved with United Way?
I'm starting my third year as a Board Member. I also serve on United Way's Community Impact sub-committee. I have also donated to the United Way for years and recently co-led Olivet's United Way campaign with my employer.
What inspired you to become involved with United Way?
My employer holds annual United Way campaigns and encourages each of us to consider supporting their mission locally.
What aspect of United Way's work do you connect with most?
I serve on the Community Impact sub-committee. I enjoy seeing our mission being connected to community at the grassroots level. We often connect our students to United Way projects on a voluntarily basis.
Why do you think it's important to support United Way's mission?
The United Way's mission is designed to come alongside and support community agencies who are impacting lives in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties. It is exciting to be a partner in those important efforts.
Who is Amber Residori?
During her time at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU), Dr. Residori has served as a Professor of Social Work, Chair of the Social Work & Criminal Justice Department, Dean of the School of Life & Health Science and currently serves as the Dean of the College of Professional Studies. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from ONU (‘93), her Masters in Social Work Administration from the University of Illinois (‘99), and her Doctorate of Education in Ethical Leadership (‘17) from ONU. She earned her designation as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2002.
As an administrator, she has extensive experience in strategic planning, budgeting, employee recruitment, training and development. Her professional experience also includes extensive work in residential treatment settings with youth and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. She particularly enjoys developing and teaching others milieu management, leadership, building and maintaining a healthy culture, and cutting-edge treatment interventions with difficult populations. She enjoys opening new programs from the ground up and has accomplished this in a variety of settings, including: an outpatient practice, various new residential treatment programs, and acute inpatient psychiatric hospital programs. Dr. Residori has presented locally and at national conferences on a variety of topics including: techniques for working with specialized populations, team building, self-care, and leadership. She is passionate about life, helping others and sharing God's love through service. She and her husband, Jeff, are the parents of two daughters, Alysandra and Kennedy.