UK Alumna is Honored by National Council on Family Relations

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2015) — University of Kentucky alumna Claire Kimberly is being honored as the 2015 recipient of the Cindy Winter Scholarship presented by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The scholarship is given to students or new professionals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership or service in the discipline of family science, family studies, human ecology, human development or a related field.

Kimberly, who holds two graduate degrees from UK's Department of Family Sciences, is currently an assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in the Department of Child and Family Studies.

An active member with NCFR since joining in 2009, Kimberly has served at the national level as the students and new professionals representative and secretary of the Affiliate Councils Board, which governs the local affiliate chapters. She has also given 15 presentations at NCFR conferences. 

“Claire has exceptional professionalism and puts incredible energy into any task she takes on,” said Rose Allen, current president of the Affiliate Councils Board. “She can be counted on to follow through on any task she accepts — and it will be done to the highest standards. Like Cindy Winter, she has put her heart into NCFR.”

The faculty and staff of UK Human Environmental Sciences were not surprised with Kimberly's selection.

"This national award for outstanding leadership and service within her discipline is consistent with the characteristics Claire demonstrated as a graduate student in our master’s and doctoral programs, where she was a leader among her peers through both her initiative and by example. She routinely and proactively sought out new opportunities for professional growth, demonstrated remarkable resilience when faced with challenging circumstances, and always found a way to produce more and better-quality work than could be expected," said Jason Hans, a professor in the department of Family Sciences.  

Ronald Werner-Wilson, chair of the department, and the chair of Kimberly's thesis and doctoral committees agreed, “We are all very proud of Claire. She was an outstanding graduate student, so we are not surprised by her continued success.”

Kimberly will be honored for her contributions to the field of family sciences at the 2015 NCFR Annual Conference scheduled for Nov. 11-14 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

NCFR is a nonpartisan, nonprofit professional organization focused solely on family research, policy, and practice. The Cindy Winter Scholarship is given out on a biannual basis, and recognizes the NCFR's conference director from 1964-2007. The recipient receives a monetary award of $250, which is to be used for travel expenses to attend the NCFR Annual Conference, up to $125 toward the conference registration, and a plaque.

MEDIA CONTACT: Alexis Simms, alexis.simms@uky.edu, 931-237-1599.