About
Mission
The mission of the Prevention Team is to reduce substance use and suicide risk among Seneca Nation youth and families through the creation of community-wide and culturally relevant programming that collaborates with formal and informal systems and resources.
Vision
Our vision is to unify Seneca Nation communities, systems and resources so that our youth and families are protected against suicide and substance misuse. We strive to promote mental health in order to create a healthy Seneca Nation today and seven generations forward.
My name is Jamie Billings and I have worked in the prevention field for twenty years. I graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) with dual bachelor’s degrees in Social Science and Early Childhood Development.
I love educating people and helping them to be the best versions of themselves that they can be. I am privileged to work with the Seneca Nation prevention team, who consistently aims to have a positive impact on Native youth, their families and the community.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and three children the most. I also love traveling, ice cream, and animals…especially our dog Ivy.
Hi I’m Lydia!
Here is a little tidbit about me:
I graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2014 with a bachelor’s in social work. I’ve always had a desire to work with families, especially youth so I was excited to join the team. My journey through college was not always smooth or easy. The transition from high school to college, especially during that first semester, was difficult. I was really struggling with deciding what I wanted to do which then turned into me struggling with having good grades. I made the decision to transfer schools and it was there that I really found my niche and passion for social work. My journey then transformed into really enjoying college and the challenges it threw at me — and eventually graduating with honors. I look forward to honoring my journey by passing on the lessons I’ve learned from my experience to the future generations.
My other passions in life include true crime, alpacas, binge reading, trying new foods, and petting all the dogs I can.
Fun random fact: I eloped in Scotland in July of 2016 with my spectacular husband Chris, and together we have our mischievous (yet wonderful) son Oliver.
Hey there! My name is Lori!
Here is the reader’s digest version of me. I grew up on the Allegany Territory in the city of Salamanca, NY, graduating from Salamanca High school. I then pursued a career in Human Services receiving my Associate in Applied Sciences degree from Genesee Community College. I moved out west in 1982, living in Phoenix AZ. for a period of about six years, before moving to Las Vegas NV, where I had my only child (daughter, Leigh Ann) in 1989. She is a Vegas baby. After she was born, I moved back home to be closer to my family. I began my career with the Seneca Nation in 2004. I was hired as a Homefinder/Educator in Child and Family Services working in the foster care program. Within that department, I was promoted to Case Manager in 2007 working in the child welfare field. I went back to college (in 2008-2010) to receive my Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services through SUNY Empire. I recently changed career gears and moved to the Seneca Nation Health System Prevention department in July of 2017, which I am happy to call my new (professional) home.
In my personal life, I have been happily married for 10 years and I am a grandmother of three awesome grandsons and a dog mom of three rescue dogs. I was a foster for the local rescue for 3+ years. I now try to help with fundraising and do as much as I can for them and intend to foster again in the future when I retire. I also enjoy golfing and crafting also have more fun things to do when I retire.
Bio coming soon!
I came to the Seneca Nation as a prevention specialist after 20 years of clinic and prevention experience as an addiction counselor with other agencies. I have a BS in management of organizations, and am a trainer for ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training).
My favorite tasks in prevention are working with youth ages 5-8, teaching social and emotional learning. My goal is for them to start making good choices at an early age and carry this through to adulthood. I also work in our Family Engagement Program, and we have a great time interacting with the families.
At home I enjoy 1940s and 1950s detective movies, reading novels and working on my car and motorcycles. I started my 11th year at this job in 2019.
Hi I’m Jennifer!
First off I would like to say how happy I am to be part of the Seneca Nation Prevention Team as the Prevention/Aftercare Specialist Coordinator for the Seneca Clubhouse! I am excited to be taking on this position and begin my journey. So, I’ll just start with a little background about myself. I completed my Bachelor’s degree at Medaille College in Psychology as well as my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling. While completing my master’s degree I completed a year of internship at the Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport, NY. I was an intern in the children’s psychiatric unit where I was able to work closely with children and adolescents from the ages 4-17. I was able to run group therapy, play games/activities, run supervised individual counseling sessions, and complete safety plans for individuals struggling with their mental health and/or substance use. I have a strong passion for working in this field and look forward to assisting the youth in their journey’s.
Other things that I enjoy doing during my personal time is hanging out with my family, my 4 year old nephew (who keeps me going all the time), my boyfriend, and going for long drives on country roads. I like to spend my time outside and with nature when I can. We all know that living in Western New York can be interesting as it will be 70 degrees one day, then 40 the next so sometimes I’m limited. I have a fun and caring personality and love to meet new people!