Kimberly Hardy

Kimberly Hardy is a mom, social worker, and professor who has spent her career building bridges to equip people with the tools and opportunities they need to be successful.

Growing up in a family with roots in eastern North Carolina, Kimberly learned the value of service by watching the work of her father, a Marine Corps veteran who served multiple tours in Vietnam before becoming a police officer, and her mother, who was a Special Agent in Charge with the US Department of the Interior and the State Department investigating fraud, waste, and abuse. That service continued with Kimberly’s brothers who served in the US Armed Forces—one in the US Marines, the other in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, stationed at Fort Bragg.

While attending community college for journalism, Kimberly saw too many people in the community falling through the cracks, especially those experiencing homelessness, which drew her to social work. She received her Bachelors in Social Work from Morgan State University and her Masters in Social Work from The Ohio State University after which she worked for several years as a school social worker. Her role as a school social worker brought together teachers, parents, and school administrators to find resources and create plans to help students and their families succeed. She went on to earn her PhD in Social Work at Morgan State University, gaining national prominence for her expertise in the institutional and cultural roles of religion and spirituality in the lives of the people and communities they serve.

Since 2016, Kimberly has been a professor at Fayetteville State University,* the oldest Historically Black University in the UNC System and one of the best colleges in North Carolina for student economic mobility. She has been involved in several community organizations, including serving for several years as chair of Sweet Tea Shakespeare Theatre Company, being a member of Jack and Jill of American, Incorporated, and working with her students to host multiple community-based food and school supply drives. She is also a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.

*For biographical purposes only and should not be taken as an endorsement by Fayetteville State University or the University of North Carolina System.