Ashley Charwood is an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department. She lives in Bemidji with her husband and 4 children, where they enjoy camping, roller blading, trivia, and hammocking. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and a descendant of people from Nigeria and Ghana, Ashley embeds non-oppressive relations, diversity, inclusion, and equity into all courses. She's also studied abroad in Malmo, Sweden. With interests around code switching, racialized body trauma, and imposter syndrome, Ashley encourages social work students to understand the past, how it connects to the present, and how it will inform the future, with a focus on elevating social justice as a key component to social work.
Ashley has held positions in the nonprofit sector in Pennsylvania and in the Bemidji area. Ashley is also employed as an Early Childhood Screener with the Bemidji School District and is a Doctoral student at Tulane University. Ashley has served on many nonprofit Board of Directors, including serving 6 years as the Bi-County CAP Governance Committee Chair and board Secretary, the National Association of Social Work Board- MN Region, the Headwaters School of Music and Arts Board, and currently serves as a Minnesota Council of Nonprofit board member, Northwoods Caregivers Board member, and is a one of many co-founders and the Secretary on the Project for Change board.
Ashley has co-organized many community educational events, such as Martin Luther King Day Celebrations, Leadership trainings, Nonprofit Summits, Overcoming Racism Conferences, Black History Month, and Juneteenth gatherings. She's also presented at several conferences across the state. Ashley is the recipient of the Cathedral Award, the Catalytic Leader award, and the MINNCAP HeadStart Hero Award.
Degrees
DSW in progress from Tulane University
Cultural Diversity Certificate in progress, University of Mankato
MSW University of North Dakota
BS in Social Work, Bemidji State University
Minor in Addictions, Psychology,
Minor in Women's Studies and African American studies in progress
Licensed Graduate Social Worker, Minnesota
Teaching
Field Experience, Human Behavior in the Social Environment II, Interpersonal Relations, Social Welfare Policy, Generalists Practice III
Research Interests
Nonprofit Organizational Policies
Targeted Board Recruitment
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Non-Oppressive Relations within schools, nonprofits, and communities
Open Field
Article Reviewer for the Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal
BSU Social Work Club Faculty Advisor
BSU Child Welfare Scholars Program Director
Member of National Association of Black Social Workers
