Ep 6: Advocacy and policy change in mental health and criminal justice with Valerie Arendt and Kathy Rogers
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Policy is often discussed a national level. But most social policy that actually impacts the lives of those served by nonprofits and other social sector organizations happens at the state and local level. With the social transformations currently being brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and #BlackLivesMatter, we invited two professionals to discuss their policy and advocacy work in the areas of mental health, criminal justice, and more.
First, Valerie Arendt, Executive Director of NASW North Carolina, discusses the critical role NASW has played in making state-level changes to policies in telemental health, criminal justice, and school social work. She also shares perspectives on racial justice and the social work profession.
We then invited Kathy Rogers, Executive Director of Mental Health America Central Carolinas, to share resources for community mental health wellness and discuss the importance of prevention in mental health work.
We also remember the life and legacy of Representative John Lewis and his call for all of us to make “good trouble” for social change.
Resources
Patience is a Dirty Word - Ibram Kendi in The Atlantic on remembering Rep John Lewis.
Guests
Kathy Rogers is the Executive Director of Mental Health America of Central Carolinas, a position she has held since October 2017. She has more than 20 years of experience as a nonprofit executive, including 12 years as Executive Director for United Way of Henry County & Martinsville in Virginia. She has two daughters, Kaitlin and Madison, or Richmond and Lynchburg, VA, respectively.
LinkedIn | Twitter | Twitter (MHA NC) | Facebook |
Valerie is the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers North Carolina. She leads the association’s efforts to advance the profession of social work in North Carolina by advocating for social work issues at the state level such as the hiring of degreed social workers in the public and private sector, higher salary and continued reimbursement for telehealth, career and professional support for members and the advancement of social justice and social welfare issues. Valerie has her Master of Social Work and Public Policy degrees from the University of Minnesota. Her direct social work experience includes a focus on refugee and immigrant families, early childhood education, women and youth education, affordable housing, and nonprofit management. Valerie was the career columnist for the national New Social Worker Magazine for three years and strives to help new professionals successfully transition into their social work careers.
