Katie Potocnik Medina, LCSW

Katie serves as the director of alumni engagement for Smith College School of Social Work. Her goal is to increase alumni connections and build a dynamic professional network within this community. Prior to this she served as the founding social worker and director at a middle school in the Washington Heights community in NYC for a decade. In this role, Potocnik-Medina embodied student voice, centered family partnerships and integrated social-emotional learning within systems and classrooms school-wide. In addition, she spent years working in research at UNC and Columbia University to increase effective programming in an effort to reduce HIV/STI transmission amongst communities often neglected and/or provided ineffective care.

In addition to her work, Potocnik-Medina is the co-founder of Awareness of Mind, where she leads workshops for parents and caregivers on ADHD, anxiety, and sensory needs. Drawing from her own experience navigating resources for her neurodiverse child, she is deeply committed to helping families find the support they need. She also maintains a small caseload with a private practice group.

Potocnik-Medina earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Dayton and an M.S.S.W. from Columbia University School of Social Work. A first-generation college graduate, she is a licensed clinical social worker, as well as a certified ADHD coach and Restorative Practice Clinician.