Cherrie

CHERRIE SHORT has spent her entire working life fighting for social justice and equal rights for all people. An experienced advocate, she has negotiated and mediated agreements across a broad range of statutory, voluntary and commercial organizations, and has raised funds for advocacy groups. Accomplished in virtually all aspects of social work, including direct practice, policy development and accreditation, Short has lived most of her life in Wales, where she served in a number of important positions, including on the Commission of Racial Equality. She was appointed race commissioner for Wales in 2002 and since 1984 has served as probation officer for the National Probation Service of Wales for serious offenders. Short has also served as a task force member on the implementation of the Welfare to Work and New Deal Programs in Wales and has been on the accreditation of the Social Work Committee for the past nine years. She has held the elected position of city councilor for the past 17 years, where she was involved in policy making and legislative campaign strategies, as well as dealing with financial management and budgeting for numerous committees with large financial budgeting accountability. Short has received several prestigious awards for her work, including the United Kingdom Black Business Woman of the Year Award for her community service and the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) Award, one of the United Kingdom's highest awards for public service. She was presented the official royal honor by Prince Charles in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace for her outstanding and pioneering career in promoting racial equality and equal opportunity in Wales. Short holds a bachelor's degree in social administration and law, a master's degree in economics and social studies, and completed postgraduate work in social work at Cardiff University, Wales. In 2007, she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Wales for her work in improving race relations in Britain. For 10 years, Short was a consultant with Cardiff University in its social work policy and social work program. Additionally, she has served as a senior fellow of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois for two years. Over the past several years, Short has focused her talents on helping children and the disenfranchised and developing stronger communities. She has been involved in social work issues concerned with early childhood care and education within the Cardiff Local Authority. She has received awards for her work in creating new services within the community for the elderly, as well as for her help to children in the setting up of family centers. She has worked with local community groups on developing community partnerships and has trained and developed staff and helped policy makers understand multi-agency approaches to the regeneration of communities. A much sought-after speaker and lecturer, Short is a qualified trainer on diversity issues and regularly speaks on issues related to race and equality. She is the author of 10 published pieces covering issues related to race and has delivered lectures and training in the field of equality at more than 46 conferences in the field of social work. Short joined in 2006, where she heads the Office of Global and Community Initiatives, overseeing the school's international and community programs, including the MSW Post-Graduate Certificate Program in International Social Work Practice in the United Kingdom. She is currently assisting in the development of a forensic social work program that aims to explain how the criminal justice system operates, how it treats juvenile offenders and what benefits social workers can provide. Short is also working on a new course on immigration and social policy, and exploring outreach and collaborative activities with community organizations and with state and local government in California.