Kris Laurenti sees social work as an opportunity to make a lasting difference by getting to know people. She envisions a future for the District of Columbia where social workers have a better understanding of the importance of real human relationships. She has spent her career trying to make that vision a reality through partnerships, collegiality, and efficiency.

After nearly 10 years working with children and troubled families in the Child and Family Services Agency, in 1987 Laurenti joined the Department of Mental Health’s Youth Forensic Services Division. By 1991 Laurenti was the organization’s leader and the first nonpsychiatrist ever to oversee the Division, whose primary function is to prepare court-ordered psychological evaluations.

Laurenti’s appointment was well deserved. Through her energy, vision, and exemplary management, she transformed the underfunded and understaffed Youth Forensic Services Division into a thriving unit of 26 highly motivated and expertly qualified clinical evaluators and social workers. Her ability to lead and inspire has earned her great esteem among staff and colleagues at the Department of Mental Health, as well as attorneys and judges in the juvenile justice system. With a reputation for running a high caliber clinic, Laurenti was able to secure $2 million in federal funding to support the division. This remarkable expansion reduced the waiting time for court-ordered evaluations from over two months to two days.

Laurenti continues to prove her extraordinary ability to recruit, motivate,
and manage at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, where she recruited new staff and is grooming the next generation of social workers. Through a partnership with graduate schools in the District, Maryland, and Virginia, Laurenti is working with the department to train graduate social workers in community-based social work and provide valuable experience in advocacy and case management in a juvenile justice setting.

Laurenti’s achievements as a first-class manager have not overshadowed her commitment to community involvement and what she calls “old fashioned social work.” She continues to develop partnerships and initiatives to support and empower District residents. “Not only did she significantly change the quality and number of people applying for hard-to-recruit-for positions,” says agency Director Vincent Schiraldi, “but she partnered with another sister agency to collaborate on training opportunities and employment opportunities for unemployed District residents.”

Laurenti was shocked and honored to have been granted a Cafritz award, and sees it as recognition of the importance of social work in building healthy communities. She describes her career as a social worker as “the hardest job you’ll ever want to love. It is the most gratifying job, and when you see things happen and get people things that make their life easier, it’s the best reward.”

In her spare time, Laurenti enjoys watching foreign films and traveling. She would like to share this award with her entire extended family who taught her the value and importance of team work. She gives special thanks and acknowledgement to her parents, Mario and Doris Laurenti.