Roughly translated, ‘Ubuntu’ means, ‘I am, only because we are.’

Dr. Stacey Hardy-Chandler has dedicated her life to the values of service and community she first learned as a child and centers ubuntu in her leadership philosophy.  Although professionally she unequivocally identifies as a social worker, she combines this with her background in clinical psychology (PhD), law (JD) and Org Leadership (PGDip) to affect strategic and intentional, micro to macro change and transformation.

The three major phases of Dr. Hardy-Chandler’s 35+ year career journey have included: Direct clinical practice; as an academic faculty member and administrator (University of Nevada, Las Vegas and George Mason University); and in human service senior management. Her rich, diverse and dynamic background has provided the foundation for the fourth phase of her career, serving her beloved profession as the CEO of ASWB, a nonprofit serving the social work regulatory community across the U.S. and Canada.

Active in her community, she was previously twice elected president of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, has served as an appointee to the Fairfax City (VA) Commission for Women, and is an active member of her local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was the editor and contributing author to the Forensic Social Work section of the most recent edition of the Social Workers’ Desk Reference (4^th ed).

With no fear of stretching comfort zones, she is fulfilling a longtime dream of learning to play bass guitar. She and her husband Mark (a former member of the City's Environmental Sustainability Committee) live in the Westmore community with their two dogs, Liberty and Terrance.

Dr. Hardy-Chandler is convinced that paradoxically, the future of leadership in an increasingly complex, nuanced and ambiguous world requires understanding the “real A.I.” (ancient intelligence) found in the wisdom and power of collective effort.

This is the background she brings to the City of Fairfax as a candidate for City Council.