Learn more about Nicole Freeman, New Metro Staff Trainer!

Nicole Freeman image

What is your job title, and what will you be doing?

I am a trainer with the Metro team and will deliver training to other child welfare professionals. 

Tell us about your education and/or work experience prior to joining the MNCWTA.

I returned to college as an adult-learner with a family after working in the medical field for 12+ years. During my undergraduate studies at Metro State, I completed internships at a community agency where I worked with vulnerable adults who struggled with severe persistent mental illness (SPMI) and/or co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) as well as an internship with Hennepin County Children and Family Services.

During my Hennepin Co. internship I shadowed staff in each unit (IRT, investigations, Parent Support Outreach Program, and ongoing case management). During my graduate studies at the U of M, Twin Cities, I completed a graduate fellowship with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare and interned at Washington County Child Protection Services in their school truancy division and did some work as an ongoing case manager for a family with complex medical conditions that contributed to the children missing school. While I was in grad school, I worked with AmeriCorps at an urban elementary school.

After graduation, I worked for the Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Board. I was a Guardian ad Litem Coordinator; I inspired and led a strong and cohesive team of staff and volunteer GsAL in the juvenile division of the Fourth Judicial District (Hennepin County). Recently I did some clinical mental health contract work for CornerHouse and co-facilitated family support groups for child and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse. In 2020, I co-founded a philanthropic social enterprise with three fellow women of color; we focus on community building, education for aspiring allies, redistributing wealth from those who live in abundance to those who are currently and historically oppressed and marginalized, voter education and engagement, and connecting people with local resources.  Most recently before coming to the MNCWTA, I worked as a contracted school social worker at a community elementary school within the Minneapolis Public School district. 

How long have you been working in your field?

I have been a licensed graduate social worker for almost two years. 

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy getting to know others, continuously learning new concepts and perspectives, and advocating for those who are often not given a voice or seat at the table. 

What are you most passionate about professionally?

Racial and social justice as well as challenging myself to continuously expand my skill sets. I am also working on my clinical clock hours to obtain my LICSW; I'm a little over halfway done with my clock hours. 

What are you most passionate about personally?

Racial and social justice, and policy advocacy.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I enjoy spending time with my spouse, daughters, and chosen family. I enjoy creating alcohol ink art, sitting around a bonfire with family and friends, and taking road trips to the North Shore. 

What else should we know about you?

I'm a transracial adoptee from Seoul, Korea. I'm multicultural (Korean, Chinese, and Japanese) and have been searching for my birth family for about two years now.