Yolonda Y. Rogers, MPNA, MSW, LICSW, LSSW

Ms. Rogers was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as attended schools in the Minneapolis Public School district for grades K-12. She earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Saint Thomas in social work and family studies, and completed master’s degrees from Metropolitan State University in public and nonprofit administration and from University of Georgia in clinical social work. Ms. Rogers is currently dual licensed with the Minnesota Board of Social Work as a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and with the Minnesota Professional Licensing and Standards Board as a Licensed School Social Worker. (LSSW). Additionally, she has a wealth of interdisciplinary educational and professional experience in social work and mental health, public and nonprofit administration, and secondary and post-secondary education.

In her current role with Minneapolis Public Schools she serves as a Mental Health Support Specialist with the newly established Mental Health Support Services Department. As part of this role she will facilitate districtwide mental health initiatives as well as support school sites with a focus on providing direct mental health support, crisis support, professional development, evidenced based interventions, and connection to mental health resources. Prior to her current role, Ms. Rogers served as a School Social Worker with Minneapolis Public Schools. As a School Social Worker she provide multi-tiered systems of support for students via: assessment and providing direct social emotional support for student mental health concerns; engaging students and their families via individual meetings, group work, resource acquisition, and crisis intervention; facilitating staff trainings regarding mental health, suicide risk assessment, and homelessness and high mobility; participating in multidisciplinary teams to develop, review, and revise accommodation plans for students; coordinating resources and services for students under the guidelines of due process special education and 504 laws; facilitating conflict mediations and restorative practice strategies; and serving as a liaison between students, families, colleagues, and community agencies. Aside from her day to day responsibilities as a School Social Worker, Ms. Rogers has also engaged in ongoing professional development and collaboration via the Social Work Equity Committee, Social Emotional Equity Learning Team, Instructional Leadership Team, Youth Participatory Evaluation/Youth Voice Advisory, and Dare to Be Real Advisory. 

Aside from her work within the school district, Ms. Rogers has served as an Inpatient Social Worker at Prairie Care and has worked in other psychiatric care settings as a Social Services Case Manager and Therapist. As part of these roles she provided: acute care and case management for child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients; conducted psychosocial assessments and initial case evaluations; developed treatment and discharge plans; participated in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings for patients; provided individual and family therapy; and facilitated processing groups. It is in these roles that Ms. Rogers acquired skills in providing therapeutic resources, support, and crisis intervention for individuals with psychological diagnosis and their families. 

In addition to her social work and mental health experience, Ms. Rogers has worked with children, adolescents, and young adults in various settings including public and nonprofit administration, and secondary and post-secondary education. She has worked with the federally funded Trio Upward Bound program at Metropolitan State University as a counselor and coordinator where she supported first-generation and low-income high school students regarding post-secondary preparation, financial aid, and career pathways. Ms. Rogers has served on the Minnesota Trio Board, and was selected by the board to participate in a yearlong Emerging Leadership Leaders Institute through the Educational Opportunity Association. She also worked with the Power of YOU at Minneapolis Community and Technical College as an advisor where she aided in developing comprehensive services for low-income and first-generation students and students of color including but not limited to intrusive academic advising, retention-focused workshops, tutoring services, test proctoring, career and transfer planning, financial literacy education, and leadership training. From the scope of these roles Ms. Rogers gained experience with fiscal and project management, professional leadership and supervision, and program evaluation. 

When asked what continues to drive her work Ms. Rogers replied, “I really have a desire to remove barriers and support people in reaching their goals whether that be personal, educational, or professional. I enjoy working alongside people as they move towards living the life they’ve imagined for themselves. It is also important for me to continue cultivating communities where people can live their lives freely.”