Advisory Board

The Community Social Work Advisory Board serves as a guiding force in the continuing development of social work education at Virginia State University.  Its chief obligation is to ensure development of a social work department consistent with community needs and goals and high in professional quality.

The Community Social Work Advisory Board is composed of social service professionals, community leaders and former graduates from all geographic locations in Virginia served by the Virginia State University Social Work Department (Richmond-Petersburg Tri-City Area and other Southside Virginia localities).  The Advisory Board functions as a link between the community and the Social Work Department, sharing community interests and needs, advising the Field Department on specific issues, discussing current trends in social work practice and social work education, and providing community support for the field instruction component of the curriculum.

  • The Board assist in the maintenance of high standards for the department through their involvement in curriculum overview, student practicum, community networking and as a resource for committee selection.
  • The Board provide a means of disseminating information about the Department, obtaining feedback from key community leaders about how the Department’s significance is perceived, securing suggestions for the Department’s improvement, and assisting the Department in obtaining local and state support.
  • The Board encourage participation by professionals representing community agencies who have a commitment to social work education including members of local NASW chapters.

The Board is appointed by the Social Work Department faculty and consist of a group of  15 or more and is comprised of students, program alumni, and professional and community leaders, representing a broad array of agencies and fields of practice who support the Social Work Department Baccalaureate Social Work Program. 

  • Members shall serve three year terms, staggered so that turnover shall be approximately equal thirds. Reappointment is not limited
  • The Board shall elect a chairperson from its membership who will serve a two year term. Members are eligible to succeed themselves.
  • The Board chairperson shall serve as the SWAB representative to the Social Work (Curriculum) Committee.

The Social Work Advisory Board advises the Department of Social Work on the direction it should take. The Board meet formally twice a year (Fall and Spring), but will also be represented by the Chairperson of the Board on the Social Work (Curriculum) Committee.

  • The Social Work Curriculum Committee is the curricular and policy setting committee for the Department.
  • Board members communicate with the Chairperson of the Board or the Department Chair or designee between board meetings when there is information to impart that should not wait for formal meetings.
  • SWAB input take the form of development of specific curricular areas and sequences (Practice, Policy, Research, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Diversity, Social Justice, Special Populations, etc.), assisting in the creation of field observation activities, advising on elective offerings, providing local job information for graduates, and giving guidance on a wider variety of topics.
  • The Boards active participation in program accreditation endeavors, including site visits from the Council on Social Work Education is extremely helpful in the Social Work Department’s successful accreditation efforts. 
  • The Board fill an extremely vital role in ongoing self-evaluation and future development.
  • The Board is an excellent source of information and a particularly vital contact with the local professional community as well as local needs and trends in social services.

Current Advisory Board

Jane B. Parker 

MSW 

SWAB President 

Gwen Thornton 

PhD, LCSW 

VSU Department of Social Work, Chair 

Michelle Bair 

MSW 

Virginia Commonwealth University 

Yvonne Barry 

PhD, LCSW 

John Tyler Community College 

Angela Bowman 

MSW, LCSW 

Henrico County Department of MHMR 

Lorna Caines 

MSW 

Petersburg Public Schools 

Felicia B. Daniels 

MSW 

Progressive Adult Rehabilitation Center, Inc. 

Jimmie Fedrick 

PhD 

VSU Faculty 

To-Shera Friend-Kimble 

MSW 

VSU Adjunct Faculty 

Kevin Holder 

MSW, LCSW 

National Association of Black Social Workers, Richmond Chapter 

Carla Jones 

MSW 

VSU Adjunct Faculty 

Denise Lucombe 

PhD 

VSU Faculty 

Becca Lynch 

BSW 

Office on Youth & Human Services 

Krystal H. Mackey 

BSW 

H.O.P.E Inc. 

Kim W. Miles 

MSW, ACSW 

Petersburg Department of Social Services 

Pamela Ratcliff 

PhD 

J. Sargent Reynolds Community College 

Lillian Rhudy 

MSW, LCSW 

Retired 

Debra Riggs 

MSW 

National Association of Social Workers, Virginia Chapter  

Brittany Short 

MSW 

VSU Adjunct Faculty 

Latroyal Smith 

MSW, LCSW 

Independent Living Solutions 

Keneisha Thornton 

MSW 

McGuire Veterans Hospital 

Keiana Tillman 

BSW 

VSU Alumni 

Tammy Walton 

MSW 

Progressive Adult Rehabilitation Center 

Mary Ware 

MSW 

Virginia General Assembly