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Wendy M. Alias: A Native Yorker who has lived in Laurel, MD over 20 years. A graduate of State University of New York at Albany with her Bachelors and Masters degrees in social work  and is currently clinically licensed in two jurisdictions (Maryland and District of Columbia).  Wendy has over twenty-five years of social work experience in a variety of areas including but not limited to Probation, Corrections, Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, Homelessness, Child Welfare, HIV/AIDS, Supervision and Training.  An entrepreneur, Ms. Alias started own consulting business, Nkyinkyin Consulting Associates in 2003 after leaving a supervisory position that she held for nine years at Lutheran Social Services in Washington DC.  Her consulting work primarily focuses on  the supervision of MSW interns, training and staff development, securing numerous agency clients in the fields of HIV/AIDS, educational advocacy, maternal and child health, domestic violence, early childhood mental health and homelessness. Ms. Alias co-facilitates social work examination preparation classes, locally and in numerous  jurisdictions on the east coast. Recently she launched her own exam preparation website – www.socialworkexamprep.net.   In addition, she currently holds an adjunct faculty position at the University of the District of Columbia.

Tracey Rollins Spann, LMSW is passionate about using her energy to influence and shepherd individuals and organizations to discover, develop, and amplify their potential to positively impact the world in which we live. Thus, in 2017, driven by her passion for organizational development and efficiency, Tracey founded TRS Consulting Group, LLC (TCG) to guide individuals, non-profits, social enterprises, and government entities to ensure they remain mission driven, culturally responsive, and impactful. Tracey completed the National Association of Black Social Workers’ National Academy for African Centered Social Work, and Undoing Racism® by The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.  It was through these courses that Tracey really began to understand how deeply systemic racism and oppression impact people and communities of color in the United States and abroad. She is committed to helping organizations and individuals understand what it means to be anti-racist, and how they can shift their thinking and practice to truly provide equitable opportunities and programs.

Operationalizing African Centered Principles and Perspectives in Supervision and Leadership

This workshop, for current and aspiring supervisors, managers, and organization leaders, will help participants understand and explore how to operationalize African-centered thought, the concept of Ubuntu, and the 7 virtues of Ma’at to transform and uplift programs and organizations focused on liberating and supporting African descended people.
The learning objectives for this workshop include:
1) understand and examine key concepts and components of African-centered thought;
2) explore how to operationalize UBUNTU and the 7 Virtues of Ma’at in their work;
3) set specific intentions for shifting (as necessary) current Eurocentrically-based practices to Africancentered practices that are grounded in the strength, resilience, and promise of African descended people.
Operationalizing African Centered Principles and Perspectives in Supervision and Leadership
For those of us born and raised in America, the vast majority of what we have been taught from preschool through post-secondary education, has been based on the Eurocentric worldview. We believe that this worldview and the resulting ways in which most of us have operated historically, is inherently detrimental to people of African descent. We as social workers have a responsibility to recognize, understand, and uproot these ways of operating that have so often perpetuated oppression and, emotional and physical harm to ourselves and the people we serve.
Those of us in leadership and supervisory positions must examine the systemic structures that have been designed to appear supportive and helpful but in fact have been developed with policies and practices that intentionally and/or unconsciously prevent us from embracing the resilience, strength and spirit of our people. Molefe Kete Asante (1998) urges us to recognize, understand, and center the experiences and worldview of African [descended] people in all that we do. In doing this, we can begin to clearly see the true needs of our people and the ways in which traditional Eurocentric values, attitudes and practices continue to be detrimental to our wellbeing and success.
This workshop will provide an opportunity for new, aspiring, and seasoned supervisors and leaders to 1) understand and examine key concepts and components of African-centered thought; 2) explore how to operationalize UBUNTU and the7 Virtues of Ma’at in their work; and 3) set specific intentions for shifting (as necessary) current Eurocentrically-based practices to African-centered practices that are grounded in the strength, resilience, and promise of African descended people.
Participants will walk away with tangible actions they can use as they guide their staff to positively affect the lives of the people and communities they serve.