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Bobby Boyd Leadership Lecture series returns March 29

The Bobby Boyd Leadership Lecture series returns to UNC’s School of Social Work on March 29 with a panel discussion on “Power, Privilege, and Positionality: Social Work Leadership Levers.” This event starts at noon and is free and open to the public.

The leadership lecture will be hosted in the auditorium of the School’s Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building at 325 Pittsboro Street on the UNC campus and streamed live. Participants who plan to attend in person or virtually are encouraged to register early for the event.

This year’s event includes a moderated discussion with Triangle legal leaders who, although are not engaged in traditional social work, are improving the lives of individuals and communities using the levers of power, privilege and positionality. These panelists are:

  • Sen. Sydney Batch, MSW/JD ’06, N.C. Senator (District 17), a family law attorney, child welfare advocate, and social worker
  • Annie E. Kouba, MSW/JD ’16, an associate attorney on the legal team of Motley Rice representing cities, towns, counties and townships in federal opioid litigation against drugmakers, distributors and pharmacy chains
  • Angie Stephenson, MSW/JD ’03, a former child welfare attorney in the North Carolina Attorney General’s office, a parent attorney and volunteer Guardian ad Litem and
  • Lisa Stifler, MSW/JD ’08, deputy chief of staff and general counsel to the N.C. Senate Democratic Leader and N.C. Senate Democratic Caucus.

The seminar will provide tangible takeaways, including the ability to identify and apply strategies using power, privilege, and positionality as social workers to impact and drive ethical policy changes. The discussion will also focus on near-term actions that social workers can take that demonstrate leadership and promote the values and ethics of social work.

Two hours of continuing education credit will be offered to lecture participants.

More on the Panelists

Sydney BatchSydney Batch is a family law attorney, child welfare advocate, social worker, small business owner, and mother to two children in Wake County’s public schools. Batch grew up in Chapel Hill and is a triple Tar Heel, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in English, a Master of Social Work, and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The combination of her dual degree in law and social work provides her with a unique understanding of the often-intersecting worlds of law and social work. A board certified child welfare specialist, Batch’s primary practice areas are family law and child protective services. Batch was elected to the state House in 2018 and sponsored and co-sponsored a number of bills ranging from legislation to expand affordable healthcare to a bill ensuring safe drinking water. In January 2021, the state Democratic Party nominated her to fill a vacancy in Senate District 17, an appointment approved by Gov. Roy Cooper. She lives in Holly Springs with her husband and two sons.
Angie StephensonAngie Stephenson practices in the areas of agency social services (child welfare, adult services, child support, and appeals) and adoptions. She is one of the first 10 board certified child welfare specialists through the North Carolina State Bar. Prior to her work with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Stephenson gained several years of experience as a foster care social worker in Mecklenburg County and Wailuku, Hawaii. Her experience working closely with children, foster parents, adoptive parents, and relatives, along with experience in mediation and adult mental health, has enabled her to bring an individualized approach to her work with families of every kind. Stephenson earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Eastern Mennonite University, and a law degree and MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill. She holds licenses in North Carolina and Hawaii and has been admitted to the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Stephenson has argued twice before the North Carolina Supreme Court and made numerous appearances in the Court of Appeals. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, son, and two dogs.
Annie E. KoubaAnnie Kouba represents public clients and government entities and advocates for survivors of childhood sexual abuse who wish to seek justice through the civil court system. In addition to her litigation work on the multi-district opioid trial, she also represents sexual abuse survivors in both Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy claims, as well as other survivors in litigation filed under newly enacted “window” laws that extend the number of years available to file claims. As a dual degree JD/MSW student, Kouba concentrated in macro practice at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Outside of her legal casework, Kouba serves on the board of the Green Heart Project, a volunteer-assisted service-learning organization that integrates school farms as outdoor classrooms and connects students to fresh, healthy, locally-grown produce.
Lisa StiflerLisa Stifler also works with the North Carolina Governor’s Office, state agencies, and diverse community stakeholders and coalitions across a range of issues affecting the state of North Carolina. Prior to her current role, she worked for nearly 10 years at the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), the policy affiliate of Self-Help – the nation’s largest community development lender. Most recently, Stifler served as CRL’s director of state policy, leading the organization’s efforts in the states and playing a critical role in developing and advancing the organization’s state and federal fair lending and consumer protection policy agenda. As state policy director and in previous positions as policy counsel and senior policy counsel, she worked with diverse and bipartisan coalitions, lawmakers, and regulators at the state and federal levels to protect consumers from predatory lending practices by helping to develop policy solutions, draft legislation and regulation and implement issue-based campaigns influencing federal and state laws and regulations.

About the Bobby Boyd Leadership Lecture Series

Bobby Boyd, MSW ’69, is a member of UNC School of Social Work’s Board of Advisors, a recipient of the School’s 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award, and the former director of Catawba County Social Services, where he retired after a nearly 30-year career.

The lecture series in his honor is made possible by the Bobby Boyd Leadership Fund at the School of Social Work. The fund was established by Boyd’s former staff at the Catawba County Department of Social Services, the Social Services Board and Catawba County Commissioners with the purpose of sustaining Boyd’s vision of focusing on results and excellence in public service. The fund supports leadership development and opportunities for UNC School of Social Work students. The Bobby Boyd Lecture Series provides a forum for leaders from various fields of practice to discuss their experiences and their use of specific strategies to provide leadership aimed to promote social change interventions.