Alumni Update - Kate Binkow Boyd, MSW, MPH, CPH, LSWAIC (May '14)

Kate Binkow-Boyd, MSW, MPH, CPH, LSWAIC (May '14) recently accepted a position as a Federal Investigator with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.  In this role, Kate investigates housing discrimination cases throughout the Pacific Northwest.  These cases cover everything from an individual’s right to reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications, to equality in the provision of housing services, to fair lending practices.  Kate also mediates these cases when the parties are open to finding resolution outside of the judicial system.  Kate began federal service through the Presidential Management Fellows program in 2014.  Kate holds a master’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in public health from The University of Georgia, and a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from Agnes Scott College.  She is licensed as an associate independent clinical social worker (LSWAIC) in Washington state, and is certified in public health (CPH). 

Kate says, "My social work and public health training from UGA helped prepare me for my role as a federal investigator and mediator.  The core values in our social work code of ethics – service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence – are integral to my work at HUD.  Many of the individuals with whom I work have experienced multiple forms of discrimination, not just discrimination through housing.  It is important to understand the systems and institutions that influence the way an individual may interpret and interact with the world around her.  It is also crucial to be able to understand the diagnoses and disabilities that my clients disclose.  The symptoms and side effects of these diagnoses and disabilities affect my clients’ lives in many ways, and understanding these effects helps me ask more informed questions during interviews, and provide more meaningful insight during mediations.  On a more technical note, the skills I use when interviewing clients and well as when mediating cases are the same skills that I learned, practiced, and honed through UGA’s MSW program!"

"There is ample and growing research on the link between discrimination and an individual’s mental and physical health.  My public health training from UGA helped me hone the skills to be able to understand and interpret this research.  I use this data and research to inform the way that I further the mission of HUD’s Office of Fair Housing – to eliminate housing discrimination, promote economic opportunity, and achieve diverse, inclusive communities by leading the nation in the enforcement, administration, development, and public understanding of federal fair housing policies and laws."

"Additionally, I am able to use health promotion program planning skills to encourage healthy behavior and behavior change among my colleagues in the workplace.  I am a member of several committees that design, promote, and implement public health and wellness programming in the workplace."

"The training I received through the MSW and MPH programs at UGA has been crucial to my success in the federal government.  To be frank, I believe that I’m eligible for a wider variety of jobs than my peers who only have one degree.  This is due to the overlapping and yet distinct nature of the skills and information learned in both degree programs.  No matter the job, employers are always looking for qualified and exceptional candidates who can analyze information and make insightful contributions to the workplace.  Having a dual degree gives you an edge over your competitors in the job marketplace.  A dual degree professional has myriad lenses and methods through which to analyze information and assist clients, and this gives her a unique perspective and opportunity to make meaningful changes in her workplace and in the lives of her clients."

Congratulations on this new position Kate!