Audra Kenneson started working at Rainbows in 2007. She began her work as the Smart Start Coordinator in Butler County where she worked closely with early childhood educators and parents of young children. In 2013, Audra became the Coordinator of Rainbow’s Early Childhood Mental Health services. In 2016, Audra added the Specialized Foster Care Coordinator to her duties.
Audra is a licensed master social worker. She obtained her degree from Wichita State University where she currently serves on the Practicum Advisory Committee for the Social Work program.
Her interest in working in prevention stems from her previous work experiences. “I’ve worked with juvenile offenders and one thing I noticed is that each of the juveniles had poor early childhood experiences. I saw this correlation and decided to work on prevention. My passion is to find ways to equip parents and teachers with the tools they need to provide positive and loving environments for the young children in their lives,” Audra said.
Audra is excited about the work of the Mental Health team. Of her team, she said, “I believe the real strength of our team is that we work as one strong unit. We support one another and continually look for ways we can encourage and strengthen members of our team; and we also strive to find ways to support other departments at Rainbows.”
Audra adds that she enjoys her work in the Specialized Foster Care program. “We are a small program that offers an important service. We are so fortunate to have the foster families we have who are committed to taking care of some of the most vulnerable children in our community.”
Audra cherishes the relationships that she has developed over the years with individuals, groups, and families throughout the agency and in the community.
Outside of working at Rainbows, Audra dedicates much of her time to enjoying her friends, family, and her cherished toy poodles.
