Kenya Anderson

Tennessee Board of Social Worker Licensure

Term ends: Current, at will service

Please give a brief biography, including your education, licensure or certification level and employment history:

I, Kenya Anderson, hold a professional license as a Licensed Masters Social Worker (LMSW) with a specialization in management and evidence-based community practice in the State of Tennessee. My professional affiliations include the Association of Social Work Boards, Council on Social Work Education, National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Coalition of Black Social Workers, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Phi Alpha Honor Society. My civil service career with the State of Tennessee spans twenty-four years beginning with case management and professional development training with the Memphis and Shelby County Children’s Services Agency and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. My work in academia has been with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and my current appointment with the University of Memphis. In 2021, I was named Social Work Educator of the Year by my colleagues in the Tennessee Chapter of NASW with nomination and support from my department chair and colleagues. Pursuing doctoral studies in Urban Affairs, my research focus centers on utilizing cross-sector partnerships to increase housing stability within urban communities.

Give a synopsis of your regulatory and professional experience. Please emphasize your involvement with ASWB:

I, Kenya Anderson, am employed as a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Memphis. My responsibilities in this role include program director of the baccalaureate social work degree program, teaching, and advising students. Currently, I am serving my eleventh year as an appointed regulatory board member with the Tennessee Department of Health-Related Boards for Social Work Licensure. As a regulator, I have represented my jurisdictional delegation at the Association of Social Work Boards Annual Meeting of the Delegate Assembly. I have been an active volunteer with the Association of Social Work Boards where I currently serve as chair of the Regulatory Research Committee. In 2022, I was honored to receive the Sunny Andrews Award for outstanding commitment to regulatory board service. Preceding this honor, my volunteer service with ASWB includes serving as a committee member with the Regulatory Education and Leadership Committee (REAL), Continuing Competence Committee, Nominating Committee, and search committee member for the current chief executive officer.

Finally, make a brief statement on the major issues you see facing ASWB, and how you would address them:

Efforts to dismantle the current licensure process increase potential for member attrition. Alternative processes excluding the ASWB exam using autonomous processes disrupt regulation. Member boards should be reminded of the resourceful benefits of their membership and encouraged to utilize them to strengthen and maintain professional relationships across jurisdictions.

Cross sector collaborations are essential to the functionality of the professional compact license. ASWB has an opportunity to bridge process gaps as members develop policy and formulate internal systems prioritizing public protection. I would focus on member retention activities highlighting existing products, services, and brand management.

I want to build on the success of the current initiatives to develop a progressive strategy for program sustainability. Strategic planning is necessary as the initiatives yield empirical research creating a bedrock for decision-making, opportunities for growth, and development of programs. With an effective mission-based leadership strategy, ASWB can maintain viability by strengthening existing partnerships and engaging in collective efforts promoting professional regulation