Mission Statement
CEOs of Social Work is a group of minority social workers who chose a profession that has unlimited opportunities to serve, lead and change lives for the better. CEOs of Social Work was created and founded in 2022 as an empowerment platform. This platform is used to provide social workers with a creative space to excel and grow as an entrepreneur. We are motivated to help the most vulnerable populations and invested in empowering others. The impact of social workers goes far beyond promoting social change by advocacy, research or policy, mental health or the empowerment of people and communities. We are CEOs because we see a need, have a vision, believe in our goals, and produce results.
Meet The Founders
Shawn Austin, LCSW
Founder
Shawn Austin is a licensed social worker in Atlanta, GA with more than 15 years of direct practice with children, adults and families. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Illinois State University (2008) and a Masters degree in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University (2013). She has been a licensed clinical Social Worker since 2017. Shawn has gained professional experience from the Division of Family and Children's Services, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Grady Health System, Wellstar Hospital and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Shawn has worked in various settings including but not limited to, intensive trauma, geriatrics, adult and pediatric hospitals, child welfare, government, legal and individual and group therapy.
Her passion to serve the most vulnerable populations, innovation, leadership, critical thinking and solution focused dexterities has cemented her as a leader in the social work profession. It is through these years of experience that not only has Shawn’s passion to serve as a social worker grown but her desire to give back was ignited. Shawn has thoroughly enjoyed supervising social work intern students on the bachelor and master level from Georgia State and Clark Atlanta University.
As a constant learner and seasoned professional Shawn has a desire to continue to help social workers reach their personal and professional goals. As a result, Shawn started her entrepreneurial journey by providing clinical supervision to master level social workers. While serving and supervising, Shawn has identified multiple ways to empower social workers. Shawn is the Founder and CEO of CEO’s of Social Work, a platform that encourages social workers to pursue paths to entrepreneurship, both part-time or full-time, network, empower each other and implement work-life balance. Shawn’s live mantra is, “If we are going to work well together, we must share knowledge and resources, pour into the next generation and be passionate about impacting the lives of everyone connected to us.”
Dejerica Tinsley, LCSW
Co-Founder
Dejerica Tinsley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Georgia with over 13 years of social work and mental health experience. Dejerica is the owner of Becoming Me, LLC where she provides individual, family, and couple’s therapy. Dejerica has obtained her certification as a Triple P positive parenting brief primary care clinician for the state of North Carolina and has obtained a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Certification (CCTP) in mental health. Dejerica has gained professional experience by working in various settings that include but not limited to: adult and pediatric inpatient hospital settings, community clinics, outpatient mental health and community charities.
In addition, Dejerica serves as a mental health business consultant for social workers desiring to establish their own private practice. Dejerica has appeared on news/media outlets, presented on personal and professional mental health topics to public schools and contributes to a podcast monthly that embodies real world experiences of African American women of color. These platforms include but are not limited to: CBS News, Black Female Therapist, Black Bold Media, The Baltimore Leadership School, and a guest host on the Becoming a Unicorn Podcast. Dejerica brings a plethora of knowledge from the clinical field of social work to being a business owner, CEO and entrepreneur. Dejerica is the co-founder of CEO’s of Social Work, a platform used to encourage social workers to seek paths to entrepreneurship. Dejerica has a passion for serving her community, providing guidance and mentorship, and developing upcoming social workers in clinical supervision.
Dejerica hails from North Carolina, where she earned her BSW from The University of North Carolina Greensboro. She completed her MSW at The University of North Carolina Charlotte. When she is not working you can find her spending time with her family (husband and daughter) and engaging in self-care practices.
