Tune-in Tuesday: Episode 131
Episode 131
Nancy Schell
The Athens County Children Services season of The Anna Jinja Show began with the executive director. It ends — in Episode 7, the true season finale — with the board chair. Nancy Schell has served as Chair of the ACCS Board of Directors for over a decade.
She is a volunteer, appointed by the Athens County Commissioners, who shows up to set policy, provide governance, and make sure the agency remains answerable to the children and families at the center of its mission. In her professional life she is a Program Director at Ohio University. In her community life, she is one of the quiet forces that makes Athens County's child welfare infrastructure possible.
In her conversation with host Anna Jinja and assistant producer Lizzi Montanti, Nancy talks about what a board chair actually does — and why someone would give that much of themselves to an unpaid position. She describes the strategic planning process that keeps ACCS from becoming siloed, the discipline of ending every hard board meeting with a good story, and the particular joy of adoption hearings, which she says move her to tears every single month.
She also shares a story worth pausing on: a mother who lost permanent custody of her child, who years later returned to ACCS and now helps the agency improve its services. Nancy calls it "a huge win" — and it is, both for the agency and for every person listening who has ever wondered whether repair is possible.
The episode also features a reprise of the original collaboration between Athens Poet Laureate (2020–2022) Wendy McVicker and folk legend Bruce Dalzell — the first-ever song they made together for this season, heard one last time as a closing gift.
Nancy's call to action brings the full season into focus: support the levy. Consider foster care or kinship care. Talk to your neighbors about what ACCS does. And if you ever see or hear something that worries you about a child — say something. "Err on the side of caution," she says. "These children need us."
Seven episodes. Seven conversations.
A whole season of people who gave their time, their stories, and their art because they believe Athens County's children deserve to be safe, known, and loved.