Board Chair Rod Austin presents the 2019 Geraldine B. Nelson Advocacy Award plaque to friend of recipient Katharine Ketron, Gina Colwell of Versailles, as Katharine's daughter, Becky, looks on via FaceTime from Washington DC.

​The 2019 recipient of the Geraldine B. Nelson Award has filled many roles in the Tri-County behavioral health system. Many years ago, as secretary for the Mental Health department at Dettmer, she could not have imagined that she would become one of the most influential members of the Tri-County Board, nor would she have predicted the profound impact she has had on so many individuals in recovery. It was largely due to her advocacy that Miami House was opened as a recovery home for women. She ranks third on the list of longest-serving Board members, having served a total of 17 years before her untimely death in 2018. In the manner and respect for those in recovery from alcohol addiction, she was a “friend of Bill W”  for 22 years. Her perspective as a person in recovery was highly valued on the Board, and her wisdom and strength of character was a literal lifeline for numerous other “friends of Bill W” who she sponsored and supported in their recovery journeys.
                                                     
It is in recognition of these achievements that the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services recognizes this year’s winner of the Geraldine B. Nelson Advocacy Award, for supportive measures on behalf of another, by promoting the recognition of consumer rights and encouraging positive change in the realm of mental health and addictions issues, presented this day, October 16, 2019, to Katharine Ketron.

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2019
Katharine Ketron