Ethics Conference 2026

TSHCSW Mid East Council

Annual Ethics Conference awarding 6 Social Work Ethics Contact Hours; breakfast and lunch included

Lighthouse Knoxville

TSHCSW Mid East Council: Annual Ethics Conference and Scholarship Award Ceremony<h2>Friday, September 11, 2026 8:00am - 4:00pm</h2><h2>Lighthouse Knoxville</h2><h3>Ticket Options- all options include lunch and 5 Social Work Contact Hours:</h3><ul><li>$60.00 - Member Ticket</li><li>$40.00 - Student Ticket</li><li>$80.00 - Non-Member Ticket</li><li>$100.00 - On-site Ticket Purchase</li></ul>*SPECIAL NOTES:<ul><li>Attendees names will be provided to vendors. No other contact information will be provided.</li><li>Annual Ethics Conference replaces our monthly September Meeting</li><li>See FAQ below for additional details.</li></ul>

8:00 - 8:30am Registration with breakfast/ Networking with vendors8:30 - 8:45am Welcome Remarks/Information on attendance certificate/Scholarship Presentation8:45 - 10:45: April Overholt, Aging Rainbow Coalition.Topic: “Living with Dignity: Ethical Practice and Inclusive Care for LGBTQ+ Older Adults"10:45-11:00 Break/ Networking with vendors11:00-1:00: Katherine Moore and Edward Mitchell, DisABILITY Resource Center/SILC.Topic: “Disability Ethics and Etiquette"1:00-1:45 Lunch, Finish Vendor Networking (vendors will start breakdown)1:45 - 3:45: Dr. Autumn Lowry, Ph.D., LCSW, Program Manager and Supervisor, Suicide Prevention; Mountain Home VA Healthcare System; U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsTopic: “Suicide Prevention in Tennessee: Prevention, Postvention, and What we can do to Help"3:45 - 4:00pm Final Remarks/Door Prizes/Close *Certificates of Attendance will be given out following each 2 hour session.

<h2>MEET OUR PRESENTERS!</h2>April OverholtTopic: “Living with Dignity: Ethical Practice and Inclusive Care for LGBTQ+ Older Adults"2.0 CEUs in EthicsLGBTQ+ older adults have navigated decades of discrimination, resilience, and social change that continue to shape their experiences with healthcare, aging services, and community support. As professionals, we have an ethical responsibility to ensure that every older adult is treated with dignity, respect, and cultural humility.This interactive session explores the historical context that shapes the lives of today's LGBTQ+ older adults, examines ethical considerations in practice, and highlights practical strategies for creating affirming, person-centered services across healthcare, social work, aging services, and community organizations. The presentation concludes with a moderated panel of LGBTQ+ older adults who will share their lived experiences and answer audience questions, offering participants a unique opportunity to learn directly from the voices of those most impacted. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to foster inclusion, strengthen trust, and support aging with dignity.

<h2>MEET OUR PRESENTERS!</h2>Katherine Moore, Mike Scripa, and Edward MitchellTopic: “Disability Ethics and Etiquette”2.0 CEUs in EthicsThe broad spectrum of disability has created various misunderstandings regarding ethics and etiquette when communicating and working with people of all ages who have disabilities. dRC’s presentation will disclose the unknowingly erroneous behaviors and myths people with disabilities confront throughout their daily lives and what society can do to educate their communities regarding this important issue.

<h2>MEET OUR PRESENTERS!</h2>Dr. Autumn Lowry, Ph.D., LCSWTopic: “Suicide Prevention in Tennessee: Prevention, Postvention, and What we can do to Help"2.0 CEUs in Ethics

<h3>Speaker Bios:</h3> <h4>Speaker: April Overholt</h4>April Overholt is a social worker, advocate, and community educator committed to advancing equity and dignity for LGBTQ+ older adults. As Outreach and Resource Coordinator for the Aging Rainbow Coalition, she leads educational initiatives, builds cross-sector partnerships, and advocates for inclusive aging services that recognize and affirm the diverse experiences of LGBTQ+ communities.Her work focuses on ethical practice, community engagement, and reducing barriers to care through education, collaboration, and systems of change. Passionate about translating advocacy into action, April works to help organizations move beyond awareness and create environments where LGBTQ+ older adults feel safe, respected, and empowered to age with dignity. Speaker: Katherine Moore, Mike Scripa, and Edward MitchellKatherine Moore has served as the Executive Director for the disABILITY Resource Center in both Knoxville TN and southeast KY since 2019. Before becoming employed by the disABILITY Resource Center in 2001 where she began as an Independent Living specialist, she served as a member of the Board of Director’s to bring a Center for Independent Living to Knoxville. After working at dRC for several years, Katherine was promoted to Community Coordinator where she planned, coordinated and managed numerous community-wide events, such as dRC’s annual ADA Anniversary Celebrations, The annual Be A Friend Anti-Bullying Festival, Health Fair Events, etc., where many community service providers, agencies/organizations and businesses participated as vendors. In her years at dRC, Katherine has written and developed Disability educational/awareness presentations and Independent Living Trainings including Advocacy; It’s Your Voice and the curriculum for dRC’s Annual Live Out Loud Summer Academy for youth transitioning from high school into the work place or college.Katherine has served on councils/committees regarding civil rights for people with disabilities including the Mayor’s Council On Disability Issues (CODI), Knox County’s ADA Advisory Committee, the Board of Director’s for the TN Disability Coalition (TDC) and the Board of Director’s for Disability Rights TN. She is a member of the Cultural Diversity Training Panel for the Knoxville Police Academy Recruits, and also works with the TN State Independent Living Council for both TN and KY to develop each states on-going Independent Living service plan for people with disabilities.Being a person with a rare congenital disease that includes seen and unseen disabilities, Katherine understands the physical and attitudinal barriers that people with all types of disabilities face in their daily lives. Providing and promoting education and awareness about disability to local, state and national governmental and private entities, including dispelling stereotypes and myths surrounding the disability community, is a major commitment of Katherine’s and the disABILITY Resource Center. Mike Scripa is the associate director of the disABILITY Resource Center in Knoxville.In 2019, I started with dRC as an Independent Living Specialist to support individual clients as they sought to achieve their goals. I am passionate about helping others, and in particular I have dedicated much of my career to services for youth in transition to adulthood. I previously worked for 5 years across all the local Knox County high schools with students with disabilities. I am a proud Central Bobcat (KCS) and I hold a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee. My disabilities are invisible and only a portion of who I am. I have been diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, Bipolar II, and OCD, and I love learning about others while sharing my own perspectives! Creating art is my primary hobby and outlet, but the majority of my time is spent doing what I love most: being dad to my three children, Max, Gus, and Phoebe, being husband to my wife, Beth, and chasing our golden retriever, Yuki and our cat, Oreo. Edward Mitchell was a victim of a hit-and-run bicycle accident in 2003 when he was hit by a truck, thrown into a ditch, and found by his little brother. Edward has quadriplegia with an incomplete spinal cord injury at the C5 and C6 levels. Edward crossed into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. by way of the Beta Pi chapter on the campus of Lane College in 2008. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in 2009 from Lane College, a private HBCU, and his MBA in 2011 from Union University.That hasn’t slowed him down; he works as Executive Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Tennessee while serving on numerous boards.In 2018, Edward was selected as an inaugural ABLE Advisor for the Able National Resource Center. ABLE Accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. In the summer of 2018, Edward was confirmed by the Republicans &amp; Democrats of T.N. to testify before the Washington D.C. - Senate Special Committee on Aging. The hearing titled, “Supporting Economic Stability &amp; Self Sufficiency as Americans with Disabilities &amp;; their Families Age.Edward was inducted into the Lane College Hall of Distinction for the Young Alumni Achievement Award and was honored to accept the Jefferson - Multiplying Good Award from Leaders Credit Union Last but not least, Money published its inaugural list of Changemakers, the 50 people impacting Americans’ wallets. Edward was featured as one of the 2023 Changemakers by Money Magazine for his advocacy work to increase the age of ABLE eligibility. ABLE Age Adjustment Act Speaker: Dr. Autumn Lowry, Ph.D., LCSWDr. Autumn Lowry is the Suicide Prevention Program Manager for the Mountain Home VA Healthcare System. She previously served Veterans clinically on the Homeless Team as a Substance Use Disorder Specialist. Autumn is a native Appalachian whose primary passion is working in rural communities to end Veteran suicide and the stigma surrounding mental health and promote mental health recovery. Dr. Lowry also teaches social work courses at both her alma maters, the University of Tennessee Knoxville and Tennessee Wesleyan University. When she isn’t working, she loves spending time with her husband and son, volunteering at her local community’s theatre and taking her dogs on hikes in our beautiful Smoky Mountain National Park.

M ENU<h2>Continental Breakfast</h2><h3>Muffins, Danish, croissants, butter, jams &amp; jellies, fresh fruit, yogurt &amp; granola, oatmeal and toppings</h3><h2>Beverage Service</h2><h3>Hot Tea, Coffee, and Juice in the morning</h3><h3>Water, Sweet and Unsweet Tea throughout the day</h3><h2>Lunch </h2><h3>Taco Bar with gluten free and vegetarian options</h3><h2>Afternoon Snack </h2><h3>Cookie</h3>

<h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2><ol><li>Is lunch included? Yes lunch is included with all tickets. A continental breakfast and snacks are also included. Please see menu for details.</li><li>Can I get partial contact hour credit for attending part of the sessions? Yes, attendees will receive a certificate after each 2 hour session. </li><li>Is there a virtual option? No we are only offering this conference in person at Lighthouse Knoxville</li><li>Will the event be recorded? No</li><li>My organization is a vendor can I get in with my company? Each Sponsor and Vendor must provide name and email address for their eligible representative in order for them to receive a certificate for contact hours. Sponsor level has 2 eligible representative spots and Vendor level has only 1 eligible representative spots. If your name and email were not provided you must purchase a ticket to receive your certificate for contact hours.</li><li>When will contact hour certificates be provided? At the conclusion of each 2 hour session attendees will receive their certificate.</li></ol>

Ethics Conference 2026

Friday, September 11, 2026 8:00am - 4:00pm

Lighthouse Knoxville

Ticket Options- all options include lunch and 5 Social Work Contact Hours:

Good to know

Location

Lighthouse Knoxville

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Ethics Conference 2026

Friday, September 11, 2026 8:00am - 4:00pm

Lighthouse Knoxville

Ticket Options- all options include lunch and 5 Social Work Contact Hours:

Good to know

Location

Lighthouse Knoxville

How do you want to get there?

More events from TSHCSW Mid East Council

Discover more events from TSHCSW Mid East Council, from Health to other experiences you might love.

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