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Allysha Carine Bryant

PhD Candidate in Social Welfare, Yeshiva University
Chapter Member: New York City SSN
Areas of Expertise:

Connect with Allysha

About Allysha

Bryant’s research focuses on community sustainability, with emphasis on housing access, mutual aid, and equity in underserved communities. Overarching themes include civic engagement, social justice, and connecting policy to lived experience. She directs community social services for NY Connects in Brooklyn, leading programs that support older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. Bryant is also the Founder of Fulcrum Community Partners, an equity-centered consulting firm for nonprofits and grassroots groups. A PhD candidate in Social Welfare, she advances policy advocacy and professional governance through leadership roles with NASW–NY and the Council on Social Work Education.

Contributions

In the News

Opinion: "Voting: Health, the Homeless and Community," Allysha Carine Bryant, New York Amsterdam News, August 18, 2022.

Publications

"Elected Social Workers in the United States" in Social Workers in Political Office: A Comparative Perspective on Recruitment, Career Patterns and Social Advocacy, edited by Tobias Kindler, Sigrid Leitner, Eva Maria Löffler and Klaus Stolz, (Policy Press, 2025).

Examines the presence and influence of social workers in the U.S. Congress, analyzing the pathways that lead social workers to elected office, career trajectories, and the challenges they face. Findings show that social workers in Congress often have longer tenures than their counterparts, are more likely to advocate for social welfare policies, and are predominantly members of the Democratic Party.

"Political Social Work’s Role in Competency-Based Social Work Education" (with Shannon R. Lane, Tanya Rhodes Smith, and Allysha Carine Bryant). Journal of Social Work Education (2025): 1-14.

Discusses the role of political social work in competency-based social work education and provides a framework for faculty, field supervisors, and students to connect political action to their education in order to build confidence and competence related to political engagement.

"Political Social Work’s Role in Competency-Based Social Work Education" (with Tanya Rhodes Smith and Allysha Carine Bryant). Journal of Social Work Education 61, no. 4 (2025): 542–555.

Discusses the role of political social work in social work education. Provides a framework for faculty, internship supervisors, and students to connect political action to their education in order to build confidence and competence related to political engagement.

"United States: Opportunities and Barriers for Social Work Members of Congress" (with Shannon R. Lane) in Social Workers in Political Office: A Comparative Perspective on Recruitment, Career Patterns and Social Advocacy, edited by Tobias Kindler, Sigrid Leitner, Eva Maria Löffler, and Klaus Stolz, (Policy Press, 2025).

Discusses the social work landscape in the United States. Highlights the common pathways for social workers to the U.S. Congress and reviews the career patterns of elected social workers.