Dialogue Mentorship Series
Once you graduate and are ready to start your social work practice, beginning to navigate the world of Detroit advocacy can be intimidating. Metro Detroit is home to so many different agencies and communities to serve, knowing where to start is not easy. We at the Wayne State University School of Social Work want our graduates to feel ready for their incoming careers. Thus, our Board of Visitors (BoV) and the Social Work Student Alliance (SWSA) have partnered to launch a Dialogue Mentorship Series.
Details on additional events in the series will be forthcoming.
Event #1: Navigating the Social Work Industry in Detroit
Thursday, November 18, 2021
4 - 5 pm
Zoom
The first event in our Dialogue Mentorship Series features BoV Chair Alice Thompson and BoV Vice-Chair Shirley Mann Gray. Like other Board members, Thompson and Gray are two highly experienced and influential social work alumni who want to share their vast professional networks with YOU! Come learn 'who's who' in Detroit advocacy from two of the region's most celebrated social workers! All current BSW and MSW students are welcome. Don't miss this career readiness session on how to successfully network in Detroit social work!
The event will feature the following speakers:
Alice G. Thompson, BoV Chair
Alice Thompson is the CEO of BFDI Educational Services and served as CEO of Black Family Development for 26 years from which she retired June 2020. During this time, she established two subsidiaries, BFDI Educational Services, Inc. and BFDI Training Institute, focused on education, building relationships and repairing harm. BFDI Educational Services, Inc. is now a 501c3, and the BFDI Training Institute is an L3C. Thompson served for several years as Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Work and now serves as Chair of the School of Social Work Board of Visitors. She serves on many boards that focus on quality of life issues in the City of Detroit.
Shirley Mann Gray, BoV Vice Chair
Shirley Mann Gray, MSW, LMSW, a passionate advocate for women and children, provides strategic leadership for maternal child health and infant mortality programs at the Detroit Health Department. Recognized as an expert in the areas of maternal-child health, child maltreatment, domestic violence, and family-centered care, Gray serves on many local and state boards. Her advice to others: "No matter the path you take, don't walk it alone." Gray earned her bachelor's and master's in social work from Tennessee State University and Wayne State University respectively. She and her husband have two adult daughters.