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 since 2017 with over 13 years of social work experience. She is the owner of Becoming Me, LLC, where she provides individual, family, and couples therapy. Dejerica is certified as a Triple P positive parenting brief primary care clinician for the state of North Carolina and Certified as a Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) in mental health. Her diverse professional experience spans various settings, including adult and pediatric inpatient hospital settings, community outpatient clinics, non-profit community charities and grant reviewing for the Federal Government.
In her career, Dejerica has managed several pivotal programs as a direct assistance social worker, case management/food pantry social worker, pregnancy support/adoption social worker, and burial assistance social worker. She has worked as a federal contractor for the United States Department of Health and Human Services reviewing grants under the administration for Children and Families, served as an inpatient care coordinator assisting adults with transitioning back into the community through thorough discharge planning. Managed and supervised a team of LCSW, LMSW as a Clinical Director for a mental health community clinic serving at risk youth. Dejerica has also worked as a private group practice owned by a psychologist, providing individual therapy. Additionally, she has provided supervision to MSW students from local universities.
Currently, Dejerica serves as a LCSW for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs while maintaining her own private practice. Beyond her clinical roles, she is a mental health business consultant for social workers aspiring to establish their own private practice. She provides 1:1 consulting for aspiring business owners in private practice.
Dejerica has appeared on news/media outlets, presented on personal and professional mental health topics in public schools, and contributed to a monthly to a podcast that captured the real-world experiences of African American women of color and navigating their mental health. To name a few, some of the platforms she has been featured on include CBS News, Black Female Therapist, Black Bold Media, The Baltimore Leadership School, and the Becoming a Unicorn Podcast.
Dejerica brings extensive knowledge from her clinical background to her roles as a business owner, CEO, and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of CEOs of Social Work, a platform encouraging social workers to pursue entrepreneurship. Passionate about serving her community, Dejerica provides guidance and mentorship and developing upcoming social workers through clinical supervision.