Each year Connecticut Magazine selects the best and brightest among Generation Next (young, high achieving CT citizens) and this year UConn School of Social Work alumnae, Kia Levey and Liz Shuman, are among those being honored by Connecticut Magazine.
Project Director, The New Haven MOMS Partnership
A lifelong resident of New Haven, Kia has deeply reinvested herself in the community, spending more than a decade working for nonprofits that benefit New Haven.
Kia is a Program Manager with the Department of Psychiatry in the Perinatal Depression Program at Yale School of Medicine and serves as the Project Director for the New Haven MOMS Partnership. The MOMS Partnership is a collaboration of agencies across the City of New Haven that work together to support the wellbeing of mothers and families living in the city.
Kia brings to the MOMS project educational training in social justice, political advocacy, community engagement and generalist Social Work practice. Kia works to strengthen area coalitions and community organizations to better the lives of families and youth.
Inspiration and Co-Founder of OutRUN38
As the “director of inspiration” for the nonprofit organization OutRUN38, Liz has shown others what it is to push past obstacles. She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 7, when her life expectancy was just 12. She celebrated her 38th birthday in September (her current life expectancy), and is still pursuing her lifelong passion of running. Her friend, Nicole Burke, founded OutRUN38 to support her through frequent hospital stays and raise money for others fighting the disease.
OutRUN 38 was founded upon people helping people; their goals are to promote fitness and healthy living, heighten international awareness of Cystic Fibrosis, provide a supportive community to people living with Cystic Fibrosis, and generate a financial backing to meet the ultimate goal of finding a cure.
