From Nevada to North Carolina

Ramona Denby-Brinson is the dean and Kuralt Distinguished Professor of Public Welfare Policy and Administration in the School of Social Work. The incoming president of the multinational Society for Social Work and Research, she has been a licensed social worker since 1989.

The Well did a Q&A in order to get to know Denby-Brinson, who began at Carolina in August 2021, moving from her native Nevada.

When asked about the move to North Carolina, Denby-Brinson commented on the natural wonders of the Old North State.

“I have been struck by the natural beauty of the state, its lush landscapes, and even the wildlife that my family is delighted to see maneuvering about our own neighborhood,” said Denby-Brinson. “My mobile phone contains hundreds of random photos of nearby tree-lined streets, beautiful flowers, ponds and waterways, and the deer that frequent our patio early in the morning.”

As an educational innovator, Denby-Brinson is pushing to have the expertise and capabilities of the UNC School of Social Work more accessible outside of Chapel Hill.

“Through an online Master of Social Work program, we seek to harness technology to make our top-notch Carolina MSW education more accessible to North Carolina residents,” said Denby-Brinson. “Pending review and approval from The Graduate School and our accrediting body, our online MSW program will launch in January 2024. It’s an ambitious goal propelled by the growing workforce shortage in our nation, where it is estimated that we’ll need 13% more social workers over the next decade.”

Read the complete Q&A…

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