NASW-NYS Appoints New Executive Director, Shakira A. Kennedy, PhD, LMSW!

NASWNYS

It is with great pleasure that I announce the hiring of our new Executive Director (ED), Shakira A. Kennedy, PhD, LMSW.

We are excited that such a perfect candidate emerged from our intensive search.

As you can see from both her personal and professional bios below, Shakira has all the attributes to be an inspiring and strong leader for the Chapter for a long time. Her previous contributions to our Diversity Committee, racial justice forums, and student conference series, position her well for her new role. Her start date was January 8, 2024. You will be hearing more in the weeks to come about opportunities to meet our new ED. Please join me in welcoming Shakira to what I believe is the beginning of a highly successful partnership.

Victoria Rizzo, PhD, LCSW-R
NASW-NYS President

Shakira A. Kennedy, PhD, LMSW
Executive Director
SKennedy.naswnys@socialworkers.org
518-463-4741

Dr. Shakira A. Kennedy is a highly experienced and accomplished professional in the field of social work, with a career spanning over 23 years.  Her expertise encompasses clinical supervision, operational and facility administrative roles, and extensive involvement in community agencies. She has been instrumental in areas such as adoption/foster services, shelter start-ups, early intervention for children with neurodivergent disorders, independent housing/auditing, and certification review for housing grants.

Her leadership roles within large not-for-profit organizations, ranging from Supervisor to Vice President, reflect her ability to oversee and guide diverse teams, including program directors, case managers, and assistant executive directors.  Prior her appointment to Executive Director, Dr. Kennedy was an active member of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, where she contributed significantly to the Diversity committee, participated in racial justice forums, and student conference series.

Additionally, she is engaged in political advocacy through her membership in the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus, supporting African American women in the political process.  Dr. Kennedy extends her impact through training and consultation services on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) for organizations, community groups, and professional associations, emphasizing anti-oppressive practices for organizational sustainability. Furthermore, she is an active member of two community boards, the first, serving young girls and the other, serving students within Westchester County Pelham school district.

As an educator, Dr. Shakira A. Kennedy has a rich history of teaching across all levels of social work education, from bachelor’s to doctoral programs. She has held roles such as Curriculum Committee Chair, co-chair of the policy sequence, and developer of graduate-level courses. Dr. Kennedy is actively involved in academic publications, serving as a journal reviewer for SAGE Open publications, a guest editor for the Journal Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, and a consulting editor for Children & Schools.

Her academic contributions extend to her role as an Association for Social Work Boards (ASWB) scholar and involvement in the Licensing & Regulation Task Force for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).  Dr. Kennedy played a crucial role in developing the Curricular Guide for Licensing and Regulation, focusing on Competency 2 – Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice.

Dr. Kennedy holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus, a Master of Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, and a PhD from The University of Tennessee.  Personally, she hails from Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the United States at the age of 5. She is the youngest of five sisters, a mother to an eight-year-old son, and enjoys activities such as playing tennis, listening to music, and spending time with her family.

Antisemitism in social work findings from an exploratory national survey

Press

Published by: Carole Cox, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, USA, NASW-NYS Jewish Social Workers SIG Facilitator, & Dana Marlowe, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA, NASW-NYS Jewish Social Workers SIG Facilitator

ABSTRACT: Antisemitism is one of the oldest forms of prejudices. It is hatred against Jewish people based on stereotypes that leads to persecution and oppression. As such, it threatens social justice and the security of people and community. Social work with its focus on social justice and promoting diversity has an obligation to confront antisemitism which, unfortunately, continues to increase. However, it is seldom included in social work education or in DEI programs. This paper reports on the findings of a national survey of social workers that details their experiences with antisemitism in school, in practice, and in the community. The findings show that Jewish respondents were more aware of antisemitic incidents in the community and in schools than the non-Jewish respondents. However, both groups very strongly believed that antisemitism was a significant problem and that it should be a concern for social work. Recommendations based on these findings are presented.

To read the full article, go to: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/6SKY7U2P4XTJDPJXAVDR/full?target=10.1080/15313204.2023.2291674

Jewish Social Workers Special Interest Group
Facilitator(s): Carole Cox, Dana Marlowe and Allison Janofsky

This special interest group exists to explore anti-Semitism in social work schools and practice; Develop strategies for counteracting anti-Semitism, including assuring that social work curriculum specifically address anti-Semitism in their courses and; To provide Jewish social workers with a “safe space” in which to voice their concerns and experiences.⁠

Jewish social workers are encouraged to join to have their voices heard on what events, resources, and support systems can be developed by this special interest group. Membership is not required, and you do not need to live in New York State to join. Please click here now to register for any upcoming meeting!