Tony D. Smith Jr.

Tony Smith Jr. is a social worker with over 16 years of experience in various aspects of the child welfare system. His passion for helping children and families work through trauma caused by adversities, intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and systemic oppression arose out of his childhood trauma. At age 12, he was severely injured, and his mother died in an arson attack on their home. As a beneficiary of the various community systems that helped him process and heal from these losses, Tony learned firsthand about the value of social work.

Tony is a Michigan native, born and raised in Detroit. After graduating from Michigan State University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Tony started in social work in 2009 for the Child Protective Services division of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. He later worked as a Child and Family Advocate at Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center before moving to Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix, Tony worked in Foster Care Licensing and Adoption Certifications for Aid to Adoption of Special Kids and as a Victim Advocate in the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

Tony is a certified trauma professional. His postgraduate credentials include a Master of Science in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. He is working toward a Master's in Social Work at Arizona State University and looks forward to pursuing licensure after his anticipated graduation in August 2025.

"I believe that learning will forever be the pathway to change and improvement. I aspire to be part of that evolving factor of social work that improves from knowledge to serve my clients in a more trauma-informed and efficient manner." –Tony D Smith, Jr.