BY VALERIE HAWLEY
SOCIAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY
LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH REVISIONING & STRATEGIC PLANNING
Helped guide a multi-year organizational transformation effort that began with a school-wide revisioning process and evolved into the development and implementation of a new strategic plan, brand platform, and culture-building initiatives designed to strengthen inclusion, accountability, and long-term impact.
$5M
IN UNIVERSITY FUNDING SECURED
33%
ENROLLMENT GROWTH
181%
INCREASE IN ONE DAY ONE KU ANNUAL DONOR CAMPAIGN
THE CHALLENGE
Following campus-wide conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion, students at the School of Social Welfare raised concerns about their experiences within the school and called for meaningful change. What began as a broader university discussion quickly evolved into a critical moment of reflection and accountability for the school.
Leadership recognized the need to listen, evaluate existing practices, and redefine the future direction of the organization. The challenge extended beyond updating a strategic plan—it required rebuilding trust, engaging stakeholders, and creating a shared vision for the future.
The goal became developing a comprehensive revisioning process that would engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners while establishing a foundation for meaningful organizational change.
REVISIONING THE FUTURE OF THE SCHOOL
As a member of the revisioning leadership team, I worked alongside associate deans and school leadership to design and facilitate a comprehensive discovery process focused on understanding stakeholder experiences, concerns, aspirations, and priorities.
The process included:
Stakeholder focus groups
School-wide surveys
Historical research and document review
Environmental scanning
Data analysis and findings presentations
Community engagement and feedback sessions
The findings informed the creation of a new mission, vision, and guiding principles that reflected both the school's history and its aspirations for the future.
Following the revisioning process, I was selected to serve on the mission and vision committee, where I collaborated with faculty, staff, students, and community representatives to redefine the foundational identity of the school.
Education Innovation Ecosystem
Workforce Demand Across Kansas
DEVELOPING THE STRATEGIC PLAN
With a new dean in place, the revisioning work evolved into the development of a comprehensive strategic plan aligned with broader university priorities.
Working closely with the dean, I led research and planning efforts that included:
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SWOT analysis
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Competitive and market analysis
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Stakeholder research
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Value proposition development
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Environmental scanning
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Strategic framework development
The resulting plan centered around four strategic pillars:
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
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Creating a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.
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Education
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Advancing innovative and impactful social work education.
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Research
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Strengthening scholarship and community impact.
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Community
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Expanding partnerships and engagement across Kansas and beyond.
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I facilitated planning sessions across departments to develop objectives, initiatives, tactics, and success measures that connected daily activities to broader strategic goals.
BRINGING THE STRATEGY TO LIFE
The work extended beyond plan development into implementation, communications, and culture change.
To ensure the strategy remained visible and actionable, I developed communication materials, webpages, presentations, reporting systems, and implementation tools that helped stakeholders understand their role in advancing the plan.
I also monitored progress, tracked performance metrics, coordinated updates, and helped ensure organizational decisions remained aligned with strategic priorities.
This work led to the development of the school's guiding brand platform:
A Foundation of Strengths.
A Vision of Justice.
A Mission of Change.
The framework became a visible part of the school's culture and identity through environmental branding, communications, and student engagement initiatives.
CULTURE, IDENTITY & THE VISION OF JUSTICE
One of the most visible outcomes of the initiative was the integration of the new mission, vision, and values throughout the physical environment of the school.
Using the themes of (RITE), Reinventing, Innovating, Transforming, Educating, the building was redesigned to reflect the strategic direction and values of the organization.
A centerpiece of this effort was the Vision of Justice Wall, where incoming students were invited to write their personal vision of justice during orientation. The wall served as both a reflection tool and a reminder of the purpose that brought them to social work, encouraging students to revisit and reconnect with that vision throughout their educational journey.
The initiative transformed the mission and strategic plan from a document into a living part of the student experience and organizational culture.
Impact
The revisioning and strategic planning process established a shared direction for the future of the School of Social Welfare while strengthening alignment between mission, culture, operations, communications, and organizational priorities.
