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Veronica L. Hardy, PhD, LCSW, NCC

Associate Professor of Practice, Non-Tenure Track, Faculty, : Health Sciences
Adjunct - Educational Leadership and Counseling: Educational Leadership and Counseling

Veronica Hardy

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Dr. Veronica L. Hardy, LCSW, NCC is a faculty member within the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at Saint Joseph’s University. Dr. Hardy holds the distinctive legacy of being the first African American Full Professor (tenured) within the Department of Social Work at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and at the time, one of approximately five African American Full Professors in the history of the university. Dr. Hardy eventually made the critical decision to transition from her tenured full professorship to non-tenure track roles to create more space for authorship, keynote speaking, and social justice initiatives including racial trauma, child sex trafficking prevention, mentoring African Americans and historically excluded groups in academia, confronting the social injustice of plagiarism of ideas/works from historically excluded groups, and recognizing the diverse dynamics of grief and loss amongst mental health professionals.  

In 2007 she gained her initial faculty positions at Colorado Christian University (mental health counseling) and Colorado State University Pueblo (social work). She created and introduced the first asynchronous and hybrid courses within the social work program at Colorado State University Pueblo, and she offered faculty development opportunities for online teaching. 

In 2009, Dr. Hardy transitioned to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (social work). At UNC Pembroke, she attained multiple awards and accomplishments including serving as the chair of MSW program curriculum committee and the committee for the development of a new online MSW program, which successfully began offering classes in August 2023. 

In spring of 2023, she retired from her professor position at UNC Pembroke (social work) and accepted a non-tenure track position at St. Joseph's University in the Counseling Program and a contracted role in coordinating the development of a new Master of Social Work Program.

Influenced by the steps of one of her role models and previous MSW Program Chair (West Chester University), Mildred "Mit" Joyner, Dr. Hardy pioneered the initial design for a new MSW Program at St. Joseph's University. This design, submitted as part of the CSWE candidacy eligibility application in February 2023, served as the springboard for an MSW Program within the School of Education and Human Development. With her proposed program structure as the foundation of new program development, she was invited as an independent contractor with St. Joe's to serve as the team lead, primary writer, and editor of initial draft accreditation process documents (Benchmark I). 

Through her foundational efforts and team leadership, the initial draft documents were completed and submitted within a two-month period. As a result, the first MSW Program at St. Joe's launched August 2023 in the pre-candidacy phase, with Dr. Hardy receiving multiple accolades during the process from the team including "Thanks for all your work on this program, Veronica!," "Veronica - Thanks so much for all of your work and contributions. You are making my head spin (in a good way!)," "This is outstanding! THANK YOU!," and "Thanks so much for all of your work on this project!"

Dr. Hardy has been invited to lead workshops on subjects like financial wellness, addressing racial disparities, and mental wellness in corporate settings such as McDonalds USA, LLC. She has also been welcomed for guest appearances on platforms including ABC11 Together Perspectives and PBS NC Black Issues Forum. ​Further, she is the inaugural editor of the Social Work Wealth Magazine designed to promote professional and client financial wellness.

To promote fair access to education, she created The Dr. Veronica L. Hardy Legacy Scholarship, the first scholarship established for the Raleigh/Durham Chapter of the National Black MBA Association's Leaders of Tomorrow program. She is also a writer for The New Social Worker Magazine, consults for social work programs on accreditation issues, is a guest speaker for the Center for Financial Social Work, and is the author of numerous publications including Becoming Untangled: 8 Simple Strategies to Refresh Your Life, Mind, and Habits (2nd Edition) and Impact Your Income: Tips for Financial Wellness and Empowerment. 

    • PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, 2009
      • Dissertation: The Affective Process of Multicultural Competency Development Amongst Doctoral Level Counseling Students: An Exploratory Study
    • Master of Social Work (MSW), West Chester University, West Chester, PA, 1999
    • BA in Social Welfare, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA 1996

    Licenses and Certifications:

    • North Carolina Clinical Social Work License (LCSW)
    • Pennsylvania Clinical Social Work License (LCSW)
    • National Certified Counselor (NCC)
    • Saint Joseph's University, PA - School of Education and Human Development:
      • Associate Professor of Practice, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, 2023 - Current
      • CSWE Benchmark I Team Lead, Master of Social Work Program, 2023
      • Adjunct Faculty, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, 2022-2023
    • University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NC - Department of Social Work:
      • Adjunct Professor, 2023 
      • Full Professor (tenured), 2020-2023
      • Associate Professor (tenured), 2015-2020
      • Assistant Department Chair, 2014-2015
      • Assistant Professor, 2009-2015
    • Simmons University, MA - School of Social Work:
      • Adjunct Faculty, 2016-2017
    • Colorado State University Pueblo, CO - Department of Social Work:
      • Lecturer, 2008-2009
      • Instructor, 2007-2008
    • Colorado Christian University, CO - Master of Arts in Counseling Program:
      • Affiliate Faculty, 2007-2009

    Select Philanthropic Endeavors:

    To promote fair access to education, she created The Dr. Veronica L. Hardy Legacy Scholarship, the first scholarship established for the Raleigh/Durham Chapter of the National Black MBA Association's Leaders of Tomorrow program. Further, she volunteers as a professional consultant for the North Carolina-based nonprofit, Doing It for the Kingdom, which works to prevent human trafficking.

  • Select Publications:

    • Hardy, V. (2024). (Accepted for publication). Cultivating Advocates for Social Justice: A Progressive Framework for Social Justice Advocacy in Counseling Programs. Therapeutic Speakeasy Quarterly.
    • Woodside, S., Savage, T., Akers, W., Chae, K., Hardy, V., Jones, S., Locklear, C., Stargell, N., Peele, J., & Pryor, S. (2022). Partnerships to Address School Safety through a Student Support Lens. International Journal of School Social Work, 7(1). 
    • Woodside, S., & Hardy, V. (2020). Facilitating Racial Equity: Evaluating a Leadership Workshop Series for School Social Workers. International Journal of School Social Work, 5(1). 
    • Hardy, V., Locklear, A., & Crable, A. (2020). Commercial sexual exploitation of adolescents: Gender-Specific and trauma-informed care implications. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 17(1).  
    • Hardy, V., Compton, K., & McPhatter, V. (2013). Domestic minor sex trafficking: Practice implications for clinical professionals. AFFILIA: Social Work Journal for Women, 28(1).  
    • Byers, B., Underwood, L., & Hardy, V. (2010). Spirituality group with female offenders: Impacting hope. Journal of Correctional Healthcare, 16(2). 

    Select Speaking Engagements:

    • Hardy, V. (2024, March). Building Mental Wealth: The Ethics of Empowering Social Work Professionals. Presented at the Veterans Administration Social Work Month Celebration. Dublin, NC.
    • Hardy, V. (2024, March). Building Mental Wealth: Navigating Daily Stress and Anxiety. Presented at the SRAHEC Scholars Program. Southern Regional Area Health Education Center (SRAHEC), Fayetteville, NC.
    • Hardy, V. (2023, February). Featured Speaker: Racial Trauma: A Critical Conversation about Grief, Loss, and Trauma. Presented at Middle State Georgia University, Macon, GA. 
    • Hardy, V. (2023, January). Child Sex Trafficking: Building an Awareness and Prevention Toolkit. Presented at the 21st Annual NC School Nurse Conference, Concord, NC.  
    • Hardy, V. (2022, May). Keynote Speaker: Grieving Freedom: The Legacy of Race-based Trauma. Presented at the 2022 NASW-NC Clinical Social Work Institute (Virtual). 
    • Hardy, V., and Woodside, S. (2022, April) Racial Equity Leadership for School Social Workers – 6-hour pre-conference workshop. 2022 School Social Work Association of America National Conference. Chicago, IL. 
    • Hardy, V. (2022, March). Convocation Address Speaker: A Time for Every Purpose. Presented at the Campbell University School of Education Convocation Ceremony, Buies Creek, NC.
    • Hardy, V. (2021, September). Keynote Speaker: The Effects of Race-Based Trauma: A Multicultural Competency Perspective. Presented at the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas (ACMHCK) 2021 Annual Conference for Behavioral Health, Manhattan, KS (Virtual). 
    • Hardy, V. (2018, July). Facilitating Racial Equity from a Social Work Perspective: Addressing Disproportionalities. Presented at the 2018 National Association of Social Workers Conference, Shaping Tomorrow Together, Washington D.C. 

  • Select Funded Grants and Projects:

    • Subject Matter Expert, Culturally Informed Responses to Grief and Loss Certification Project, Dominican University (2022)
    • Primary Investigator, The Health Equity Project: Improving Maternal Health through Service Provider Education, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina's "Addressing Health Disparities: Improving Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes - Improving Birth Outcomes" ($500k) (2022)
    • Co-Writer and Training Facilitator, UNCP Comprehensive School Safety Training Program, NC Department of Public Instruction School Safety Grants Program ($117k) (2018)

    Select Accomplishments and Recognitions:

    Dr. Hardy created and introduced the first asynchronous and hybrid courses within the social work program at Colorado State University Pueblo and offered faculty development opportunities for online teaching (2007-2009). She chaired the MSW program curriculum committee for over 10 years and the committee for the development of a new online MSW program at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, which successfully launched in 2023. Based on her success in developing online programming and favorable CSWE accreditation contributions, she was contracted by Saint Joseph's University to lead the development of CSWE Benchmark I documents for a new online MSW program. With successful approval of the program to enter the CSWE pre-candidacy phase, the MSW program launched in 2023. 

    Dr. Hardy received recognition for her gubernatorial appointment and commitment as vice chair and professional member of the board of directors for the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board. She was recognized by the United Way of Robeson County, where she served as a board member and executive committee member, with the Volunteer of the Year Award for Distinguished Service, Leadership, and Support to the County. During a period of experiencing her own residential displacement from the severe effects of a hurricane in her community and surrounding areas, she served at the operations center, co-coordinated staffing of shelters, engaged in hiring processes for hurricane relief case managers, and served in food preparation and delivery, as well as co-coordinated donations and drive-thru services for persons experiencing displacement due to flooding.

    She was the recipient of the UNCP Outstanding Teaching Award and the UNCP Dial Award for Community Service. Dr. Hardy was nominated for the UNC James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Services and the UNC Board of Governors Teaching Award. Further, she served as the co-editor of the Intercultural Relations Special Issue and is currently a member of the policy board and board of copy editors for the International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, published by The International Federation of Social Workers.

    Dr. Hardy has worked on several grant-funded projects in addition to serving as the principal investigator for the Health Equity Project, which aims to give healthcare and educational professionals opportunities to learn about implicit bias, structural racism, and maternal health equity. She has also collaborated on projects such as, The Certificate in Culturally Informed Responses to Grief and Loss, with Dominican University.

    Dr. Hardy has been invited to lead workshops on subjects including financial wellness, addressing racial disparities, and mental wellness in corporate settings such as McDonalds USA, LLC. She has also been welcomed for guest appearances on platforms including ABC11 Together Perspectives and PBS NC Black Issues Forum. ​She is a writer for The New Social Worker Magazine, consults for social work programs on accreditation issues, is a guest speaker for the Center for Financial Social Work, and is the author of numerous publications.