Published December 04, 2014
Dr. Pamela Saulsberry, interim director of the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences
at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, was the recipient of the Linda Christmas
Service Award at the 12th annual Together We Can (TWC) Conference in Lafayette.
According to the Louisiana Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, the Linda Christmas
Service Award—named after the former Project Administrator for the ULM Region IX Foster/Adoptive
Family Project—is given to those who serve children and firmly believe in the value
of family while exhibiting love, passion, and the determination needed to be a special
advocate for children and foster/adoptive parents in Louisiana.
Christmas also piloted and conducted many programs for parents, and was pivotal in
the forming and development of the Ouachita/Caldwell Foster Parent Association, and
the Monroe Region Foster/Adoptive Parents Association.
The TWC conference is held for professionals and volunteers who are working together
to make a difference for abused and neglected children.
The conference began in Louisiana in 2002 as a merger between the “Families in the
Balance Conference,” and the “Justice for Children Conference.” The two events were
similar and often had the same speakers. Since that time, several other organizations
have begun collaboratively working with TWC to assist with the conference.
The TWC Conference is a multi-disciplinary event which serves as a highly respected
training ground for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); the Children’s Advocacy
Center (CAC); judges, attorneys, social workers, indigent defenders, Department of
Children and Family Service workers, law enforcement professionals, education professionals,
and mental health professionals, among others.
Saulsberry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado State University; a Master
of Social Work degree from the University of Denver; and a Ph.D. from Jackson State
University. She has served at ULM for over 40 years.
