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Pioneering Achievements
Dr. Kimberly “Kim” J. Strom, PhD, MSW, is a Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and holds the first, and to date only, endowed professorship in ethics in the field of social work. Strom is an internationally recognized educator, trainer, and scholar who specializes in the interpretation of professional standards to the complexities of contemporary practice in social work and other fields. She is the IFSW Ethics Commissioner for North America and an ardent member of NASW for over four decades.
Strom conducted a ground-breaking study investigating ethics complaints filed with NASW in the decade preceding a significant expansion of the NASW Code. That research led to cited publications that shed light on the processes, allegations, findings, and consequences of social work misconduct for 25 years. Strom co-authored the best-selling Direct Social Work Practice, using case-based videos and practical exercises.
In recent years, Strom has been active in international research and consultation. For example, she worked with the Georgia Association of Social Workers (funded by USAID) on the development of ethics accountability processes, and a subsequent project on performance appraisal tools for the emerging area of school social work. As part of a multinational research team in partnership with the IFSW, Strom issued timely and relevant findings and guidance about the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. An article she co-authored, on the invisible ethics of research, is the most-read article in the history of the European Journal of Social Work. It has also been translated into Ukrainian.
In addition to her role as a full professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, Strom has held numerous university-level leadership roles including director of the UNC Academic Leadership Program and founding director of the UNC Office of Ethics and Policy. This expertise, alongside her research in moral courage, has led to teaching engagements on authentic leadership for deans and directors in the U.S. (CSWE), Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a member of the European Association of Social Work Research, she is a co-convenor of webinars and the Special Interest Group on the ethics of research and the research of ethics.
Career Highlights
Strom has been a social work educator for more than 30 years, teaching in the areas of direct and macro practice, education, and leadership. Her scholarly interests focus on moral courage and ethics. Strom served as director of the UNC Office of Ethics and Policy, (2016-2023), director of the UNC Academic Leadership Program, and associate dean and interim dean at the School of Social Work. She was also principal investigator of the UNC School of Social Work behavioral healthcare contract.
Strom represents North America on the International Federation of Social Work Ethics Commission and is in global training, consultation and research on ethical practice and ethical action. Strom has written more than 80 articles, monographs, and chapters on ethics and practice. She is the author of Straight Talk about Professional Ethics, The Ethics of Practice with Minors, and the forthcoming text Cultivating Courage. She is also the co-author of the texts Best of Boards, Direct Social Work Practice, and Teaching Social Work Values and Ethics: A Curriculum Resource.
Strom has a long legacy of service to NASW, having been elected to the leadership of three Chapter boards (Maine, Ohio, Minnesota). Among her activities, Strom was president of the Maine Chapter; and in 1990 was recognized as Maine NASW Social Worker of the Year. She also has a significant record of service on the national level, as a member and then chair of the National Committee on Inquiry (NCOI, now the Committee on Ethics). From 2015-2017, she participated on the committee revising the NASW Code to address advances in technology, and in 2016 she helped craft revisions on the NASW policy regarding practitioner impairment.
Biographic Data
Strom was born and grew up in Maine. She received her PhD from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio (1993); her MSW from Adelphi University School of Social Work, New York (1981); and her BA from the University of Maine (1980). Strom is stepmother to nine children and 17 grandchildren.
Significant Achievements and Awards
In 2015 she was honored with the national NASW "Excellence in Ethics Award" in recognition of her “outstanding contributions to the development of social work ethics for NASW and the social work profession.”
Significant Publications
Strom is a prolific scholar with more than 90 publications, books, and articles, including:
- Strom-Gottfried, K. J. (2003) Understanding adjudication: The origins, targets and outcomes of ethics complaints. Social Work, 48(1), 85-94. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/48.1.85
- Strom-Gottfried, K. J, (2000), Ensuring ethical practice: An examination of NASW Code violations, 1986-1997. Social work, 45(3), 251-261. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/45.3.251
- Banks, So, Bertotti, T., Shears, J., Shum, Ma, SoboEan, A. M., Strom, Üriz, M. J. (2021). Pandemic ethics: A resource for social work students, educators, and practitioners.
- International Federation of Social Workers. httpg:/Jwww.ifsw.org/wp-content/_uDIoads/2021/_09/2021-Og27-Pandemic-Ethics-Resource-FlNAL. df
- Banks, S., Cait T., de Jonge, E., Shears, J.. Shum, M., Soboöan, M., Strom, Truell, R., Üriz, M. J., & Weinberg, M. (2020). Practising during pandemic conditions: Ethical guidance for social workers.
- International Federation of Social Workers. https://www.ifsw.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/11(2020-11-10-Ethical-Guidance-COVlD-19-FlNAL.pdf
- Banks, S., Cai, T., de Jonge, Shears, J., Shum, M., Soboéan, A. M., Strom, K. J., Truell, R., (Jriz, M. J., & Weinberg, M. (2020). Ethical challenges for social workers during COVID-19: A global perspective. International Federation of Social Workers.
- Strom-Gottfried, K. J. (2019). Ethical action in challenging times. In S. Marson & R. McKinney (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of social work ethics and values (1st ed.; pp. 65–72). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
- Strom-Gottfried, K., Bertotti, T., & Sobocan, A. (2018). Ethical considerations in social work research. European Journal of Social Work, 22(5), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2018.1544117
- Strom, K. J. (2022). Navigating complex boundary challenges. In L. Rapp-McCall, K. Corcoran, & A. Roberts (Eds.), Social workers' desk reference (4th ed., pp. 127-134). Oxford University Press.
- Strom, K.J. (2022). Straight talk about professional ethics (3rd ed.). Oxford.
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