By JORDAN MCLEMORE
News Editor
Dr. Kylene Rehder, chair of the Department of Social Work at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, has been elected for a two-year term to serve as the board secretary for the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers, or OSBLSW.
She was elected in 2015 by Gov. Mary Fallin to serve on this board.
Rehder holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from Northcentral University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Northwestern. She is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers.
Rehder is credited with leading the social work program to external accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and was presented the John Barton Distinguished Teaching and Service Award in 2013.
Rehder is an active member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and a member of the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (OKMRC) where she serves as a disaster mental health responder. She currently serves as a board member on Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program (CWPEP) that works to strengthen child welfare services in Oklahoma and a board member of Freedom West Community Development Corporation, a non-profit development entity in Northwest Oklahoma that works to revitalize rural communities. Rehder also serves as the Jake and Jayne Lindsay Endowed Chair in Social Work.
“It is a true privilege to serve the profession of social work and the state of Oklahoma in this capacity,” Rehder said.