COA Accreditation Volunteer Spotlight: Sharon Gruttadauro

Through COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, we seek to empower organizations to implement best practice standards to improve service delivery and achieve better outcomes for individuals and communities. COA Accreditation provides a framework to help organizations manage resources, incorporate best practices, and strive for continuous improvement.

We believe there is rich expertise in our field, so we ground the COA Accreditation process in our human and social services community. Our volunteer peer reviewers conduct our site visits and finalize accreditation decisions.

We are proud to spotlight the latest Volunteer of the Quarter: Sharon Gruttadauro, MSW.

About Sharon Gruttadauro

After high school, Sharon Gruttadauro followed her brother to Valparaiso University in Indiana, where she intended to study Spanish and education. That quickly changed, however, and Sharon ultimately graduated with a dual degree in social work and early childhood education. Deciding to remain in Valparaiso, Indiana, after graduation, she went to work for Youth Service Bureau of Porter County. While there, she provided group and individual support to youth in both the community and residential programs.

When Sharon and her husband moved a few towns over to LaPorte, Indiana, she began work for the Youth Service Bureau of LaPorte County. She provided group and individual support, both in the community and school settings. This was also where she began to teach parenting classes to caregivers moving through the family court system.

Sharon went on to further her education at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She focused her master’s studies on the administrative track rather than clinical. In doing so, she was able to begin her journey into accreditation processes; her G.A. assignment was to assist the chair of the department in their reaccreditation process.

In 1998, Sharon moved back to Rochester, New York, where she was born and raised. She began to work for Hillside. Over the past 26 years, she has served youth, adults, and families at Hillside as a clinician, care manger, quality improvement specialist, and now as clinical manager overseeing the organization’s accreditation process.

When Sharon first joined Hillside, it was going through the accreditation process with another accrediting body. It was not long, however, before the organization made the switch to COA Accreditation, now a service of Social Current. As she moved into the quality department, she became more involved in the COA Accreditation process. This is where she first learned about interpreting standards, preparing for the site visit, and the overall importance of accreditation.

Q&A

What three traits define you?

I have a passion for learning.
I am a team player, and I really care about the people in my life.
I am detail oriented.

What are your strongest beliefs about the value of COA Accreditation?

While my organization does have some programs we are required to accredit, I believe that by accrediting all of our programs we are striving for best practice. When we strive to be the best and reach the high level of COA Accreditation we position ourselves to a better provider of services to youth, adults, and families.

What advice would you give someone interested in being a COA Accreditation volunteer?

Just do it. It is amazingly valuable to you, your organization, and to the organizations you will visit.

What excites, surprises, and/or challenges you the most about the work you do as a COA Accreditation volunteer?

I love to see how different organizations interpret the standards to get the work done.

What led you to become a COA Accreditation volunteer?

Back in 2017, when I originally applied to be a peer reviewer, I was eager to learn more about the COA Accreditation review process. I wanted to truly understand the standards my organization fell under. I was also very impressed with a peer during one of our site visits. The way she spoke of the value of being a peer reviewer and the connections she made across the country really intrigued me in regard to benchmarking with top-notch organizations in the now Social Current network.

Learn more about how to become a peer review volunteer and apply online.