225 years of Tar Heels: Bobby Boyd
After graduating from Carolina's School of Social Work in 1969, Bobby Boyd helped create the first child protective services standards in North Carolina. These standards streamlined the expectations and services of social service agencies across the state.
Editor’s note: In honor of the University’s 225th anniversary, we will be sharing profiles throughout the academic year of some of the many Tar Heels who have left their heelprint on the campus, their communities, the state, the nation and the world.
Bobby Boyd spent his career dedicated to improving the lives of North Carolinians through social services.
He credits much of his career success to the professors and mentors he worked with as he earned his master’s degree in social work in 1969.
“The School of Social Work has been quite significant in my life,” said Boyd. “It helped me develop a greater degree of confidence in myself and a sound knowledge base for my social work practice.”
After he graduated from Carolina, Boyd moved to Catawba County. There, he served as the county’s director of social services and led a staff of over 400 employees to a strong reputation as an efficient and responsive community agency.
Under his leadership, the agency developed numerous innovative programs that received state and national recognition, such as residential group homes for at-risk children, school social work programs and a children’s advocacy center.
“We focused a lot on preventative measures in Catawba County,” said Boyd. “The local community was willing and ready to put local funds to that cause.”
One of Boyd’s biggest career accomplishments was helping create the first child protective services standards in North Carolina. These standards streamlined the expectations and services of social service agencies across the state.
After 30 years with Catawba County, Boyd retired in October 2008. To honor his career and achievements, his friends and colleagues established the Bobby Boyd Leadership Fund at the School of Social Work. Each year, the school hosts a leadership lecture in Boyd’s name to support and encourage student leadership in social work.
In 2009, the School of Social Work awarded Boyd a Distinguished Alumni Award. His nominators described him as “dedicated, incisive and committed to excellence” and said that “his legacy is a prototype for professional social workers and a credit to the UNC School of Social Work.”
