Veronica L. Hardy holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, a Master of Social Work, Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare, clinical social work licensure (LCSW), and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Previously a Professor of Social Work (tenured) at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, she decided to “pivot” and create space to build upon her professional identity by transitioning from full-time academia to an enhanced focus on social justice efforts, authorship, and keynote speaking. In 2023, she continues her passion to educate as a part-time social work and counselor educator in graduate programs, developing book manuscripts focusing on coping with "down days" and her tenure and promotion experience, as well as keynote speaking opportunities focusing on child sex trafficking, race-based trauma, grief and loss, and mental wealth.

 

Using her social work and counseling skills to promote social justice, Dr. Hardy has served as the primary investigator for the grant-funded Health Equity Project focusing on developing educational opportunities for healthcare and school professionals pertaining to implicit bias, structural racism, and maternal health equity. Through this grant project, Dr. Hardy’s role has included co-developing an online training series titled, Facilitating Health Equity Practices in Health Care and School Settings, coordinating a 15-hour continuing education webinar series for service providers, promoting project sustainability efforts through engaging community partners, and participating in ongoing speaking opportunities.

 

Through Dominican University, Dr. Hardy has served as a subject matter expert and course co-creator for a grant-funded project titled, The Certificate in Culturally Informed Responses to Grief and Loss. This effort was designed to educate school-based professionals to better support youth throughout the diversity of loss experiences and grief reactions from a culturally informed perspective. In addition to reaching social service, healthcare, and education professionals, Dr. Hardy has provided workshops including mental wellness, confronting racial disparities, and financial health within corporate settings such as McDonald’s USA, LLC.

In alignment with the above, Dr. Hardy stresses engagement within the community and has served as an anti-child sex trafficking advocate across North Carolina by providing awareness and prevention seminars and serving as a consultant for Doing It for The Kingdom, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit organization. She has served as a Board Member of the United Way of Robeson County, NC, a Board Member and Vice Chair of the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board and has volunteered for numerous task forces and organizations throughout North Carolina pertaining to issues including sexual and  domestic violence as well as human trafficking. Moreover, extending these topics to a broader environment, Dr. Hardy has delivered keynote, plenary, and convocation speeches on motivational and social justice issues on state, national, and international platforms. 

 

Dr. Hardy currently serves on the Board of Copy Editors and Policy Board for the International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics. She recently served as co-editor for the Special Issue titled, Social Work Values and Ethics in Intercultural Relations. This issue focused on the diversity of social work practice from a global perspective as well as acknowledging social work-based injustices. She has co-authored academic articles including Partnerships to Address School Safety through a Student Support Lens, Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Practice Implications for Mental Health Professionals, and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Adolescents: Gender-Specific and Trauma-Informed Care Implications. She has also co-authored an academic publication titled, Facilitating Racial Equity: Evaluating a Leadership Workshop Series for School Social Workers and was the co-creator and facilitator for a 15-hour training about promoting racial equity in K-12 schools provided to school support personnel to be leaders within the school system in confronting race-based social injustices.

Dr. Hardy is a featured writer for The New Social Worker Magazine with a column titled, What About Social Justice? with the aim of highlighting and strategizing to confront current disparities. In addition to her editorial, academic writing, and columnist accomplishments, Dr. Hardy has authored multiple book publications designed for a broad reader base. These publications include Let’s Talk about Finances: A Path to Financial Wellness for Social Work Students and Graduates, The Process of Grief: The Underrated Form of Self-Care, and Becoming Un-Tangled: Eight Simple Strategies for Cleaning Up Your Life, Mind, and Habits.  As the first African American Full Professor (tenured) within her previous academic department and first-generation college grad status, she embraces opportunities to mentor fellow social workers, counselors, and academic professionals. 

Visit Dr. Hardy's financial empowerment site at www.veronicahardy.com.