Glenna Murphy was born on November 3, 1993, in Pell City, Alabama. After graduating from Pell City High School, she attended The University of Alabama and received her Bachelor of Social Work as well as her Master of Social Work.

“I knew I wanted to help people,” Glenna said. “I also knew I didn’t want to be a doctor and realized I didn’t have the stomach for nursing. Social Work was the best place for me.”

Glenna has always had incredibly hardworking and supportive parents. Growing up with a blended family, Glenna had older siblings to look up to as well. “My mom is my best friend, and my dad and stepmom are both very loving and supportive,” she said.

With such hardworking parents, Glenna got to spend a lot of extra time with her grandmothers. “My dad’s mom would cut up strawberries and put sugar on them,” she said. “She loved to watch golf. She was young when she passed away, only 77, so I was glad I got to spend extra time with her.”

“My mom’s mom would play with me in the yard. We picked fruit, pruned trees. We would sing songs on the way to school, but she didn’t listen to the radio or watch TV. She taught me how to entertain myself.”

Not only does Glenna have an incredible support system in her family, but she also has a strong system of friends, their families, and her church family. “My best friend Mariah is more of a sister to me,” she said.

Glenna has always had an affinity for seniors, so when she discovered her love of Social Work, working with seniors was a natural fit. And when the position in Social Work at Kirkwood opened, she knew she had to apply.

“My dad worked at Kirkwood as the Security Guard for 20 years,” Glenna said. “But I didn’t even tell him I applied for the job. I wanted to get the job and make it here on my own.”

Glenna’s stepmother Lori also worked at Kirkwood for about 20 years. “No one would stay at a job for 20+ years if they hated it,” Glenna said. “As a kid, I would come to visit my dad at work, and everyone was always so nice. As soon as you walked through the door, there were kind people that made it very inviting. You don’t get that everywhere.”

As Kirkwood’s Social Services Director, Glenna serves as the liaison between family members and nursing. She helps with transportation to appointments, quarterly assessments, and updates on loved ones. Her office is on the first floor of our Riverview wing in Skilled Nursing.

“I am so excited about the renovations we are having in Skilled Nursing,” Glenna shared, “and we are so appreciative of our families. So many family members are so involved, and they have all been so understanding and patient with construction. Our residents are so loved here – by us and by their families. It’s something else I don’t take for granted.”

Glenna and her husband Hunter are expecting their first child – a little girl named Etta Lynn – in October of this year. When Glenna is not at work, she is spending time with her family, her friends, and her two dogs, Bitsy and Bella, preparing for her baby girl to arrive.