Van Deinse, Tonya

UNC Service

I was appointed in 2015 as fixed-term faculty in the School of Social Work where I teach courses in community and organizational social work and conduct implementation research on interventions for adults with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system.

UNC service: Committee on Fixed-Term Faculty (Chair, 2020-present; member 2019-2020); Faculty Council (member, 2019-present)

UNC SSW service: Community, Management, and Policy Practice committee (Chair, 2018-present; member, 2015-2018); Curriculum Committee (member, 2016-present); Scholarship Committee (member, 2018-present); Generalist Committee (member, 2016-present)

Candidate Statement

I am currently in my second year as a member of the Faculty Council. In addition, I am the Chair of the Committee on Fixed-Term Faculty. In this capacity, I’ve been working alongside dedicated committee members to advocate for fixed-term faculty priorities and interests and to increase communication and engagement among fixed-term faculty across units.

This spirit of community-engaged leadership motivated me to run for the Faculty Executive Committee. I believe that the best model of governance is rooted in meaningful community engagement where student, staff, and faculty voices are prioritized in the venues where decisions are made, whether it’s about the budget crisis, response to COVID-19, or addressing acts of historical and present day hatred and violence against minoritized groups.