The UT Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (SWORPS) recently named Daryl Chansuthus (MSSW ’02) as its new director effective September 1, 2022. Chansuthus brings more than 30 years of management and leadership experience in the public and non-profit sectors, with experience in strategic and financial planning, change management, organization and staff development, program development, grant writing, fundraising, and project management.
The director position requires a thoughtful, team-based, skilled leader with experience leading and managing organizational strategy, a skillset very familiar to Chansuthus. “I am excited to apply my expertise and knowledge to such a strong organization as SWORPS,” Chansuthus said. “As the external face of the organization, I am looking forward to bringing the center’s vision and mission to action.”
Doug Coatsworth, UT College of Social Work Associate Dean of Research, acknowledges that Chansuthus has much to offer. “Daryl is a skilled communicator who will oversee the executive leadership team, program managers, and administrative staff,” Coatsworth said. “Her leadership will ensure a strong organizational culture and an effective working environment for the 50+ SWORPS employees across the state and provide new opportunities for SWORPS to strengthen its reputation as one of the leading public service research organizations in Tennessee.”
Prior to arriving at SWORPS, Chansuthus spent over nine years as the Executive Director of Wo/Men’s Resource and Rape Assistance Program (WRAP) in Jackson, Tennessee, a nonprofit with a mission to end intimate partner violence and build more resilient communities, and to partner with survivors, allied professionals, and community stakeholders in 19 West Tennessee Counties. Additionally, she served as an adjunct professor at the UT College of Social Work.
Chansuthus replaces Dr. Shandra Forrest-Bank, who held the position since 2018. Forrest-Bank will return to teaching full-time as an Associate Professor at the UT College of Social Work.
About SWORPS
SWORPS builds partnerships that leverage research, technology, and human connection to improve lives in Tennessee and beyond.
About the UT College of Social Work
The College of Social Work is committed to advancing the mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as the state’s flagship land-grant university to provide a quality public education for the citizens of Tennessee through exemplary teaching, research, and service. The college provides a professional social work education program that prepares bachelor’s- and master’s-level students for social work practice and doctoral-level graduate students for social work research and academia.
Contact
Angela Thomas
Communications & Marketing Manager
UT College of Social Work
athom165@utk.edu
865.974.8638