Retchenda George-Bettisworth

Retchenda George-Bettisworth serves as Clinical Professor and Statewide BSW Rural Cohort Coordinator at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Social Work, where she has established herself as a leading expert in rural social work education and child welfare. After earning her DSW and MSW degrees, she has built an impressive 20-year career focused on child welfare, workforce retention, and social work education. As the Statewide Coordinator for UAF's innovative Social Work Cohort program, she oversees a unique educational model that combines brief on-campus intensives with distance learning to prepare social workers for practice in rural Alaska. Her leadership extends beyond traditional academic roles through her recent appointment as UAF's Chief Diversity Faculty Fellow, where she continues to champion inclusive education practices. Her research focuses on building resilience in child welfare workers and enhancing cultural competencies in social work education, particularly in Alaska's unique cultural context. Through her work with the Rural Cohort program, she has been instrumental in developing "grow-your-own" approaches to address Alaska's social work workforce needs, creating sustainable solutions for rural communities while maintaining high educational standards.