A life of service, love and commitment to humanity are three words, though insufficient, that can describe the life and career of Mrs. Carrie Rowena Waites. Mrs. Waites joined the ancestors on January 25, 2024.
Mrs. Waites was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), educator, creator, and life-long learner. She was committed to social justice and to positively contributing to the improvement of the human condition. She was an advocate for participatory citizenry. Her fields of social work practice included community mental health and practice with families and children.
Mrs. Waites’s journey of service was immensely informed by her rearing in Henderson, NC where she attended Henderson Institute, which was then the designated public secondary school for children of color. As a Panther she learned the values of service, character, community, care, honor, dedication, integrity and an appreciation for a liberal arts education and a love of learning. These characteristics were reinforced by her educator parents and grandparents.
Mrs. Waites earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from Virginia State University and a Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has post-masters training in community mental health from Columbia University, University of North Carolina, and Harvard University.
Carrie’s first full- time professional social work job was at Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, NC, the only mental health hospital for colored people in North Carolina at the time. Here she was a psychiatric social worker and later supervisor for social workers within the hospital.
Upon completion of her MSW she began working in Norfolk, VA in the area of mental health. Within this field of care, she developed outreach programs and later became founder and director of the Community Mental Health Center, Norfolk, VA.
While working full-time at the Community Mental Health Center, Carrie was an adjunct professor within the Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work at Norfolk State University and maintained a private practice as a consultant for various organizations, such as Kimberly Quality Care and Concerned Athletes in Action.
Carrie wore various leadership hats within the Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social at Norfolk State University. She transitioned from adjunct professor to full-time assistant professor within the school. She then became the Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) program director, interim dean, at various points, and associate dean, all while maintaining her presence as a student advisor, classroom teacher and practitioner. Mrs. Waites had expertise in clinical practice, program planning, curriculum development, and assessment. Her areas of teaching specializations included human behavior and the social environment, social work practice, diversity and inclusion, and policy practice. She served as an accreditation site visitor for The Council on Social Work Education.
Seeded in her family and early education, community service continued to be an ongoing and extensive activity in Carrie’s journey. She was quick to volunteer and served with quiet and loving humility. Mrs. Carrie Waites was a facilitator, trainer, and mediator, who presented trainings for social work practitioners at local and national levels with an emphasis on serving diverse populations.
Mrs. Waites was predeceased by her husband Lonnie Waites and her son Ricardo Jerome Barnes. She is survived by her children Samuel Monterio Barnes (Monica), Lavora Rowena Barnes (Michael Whitehead), and Channie Elisa Waites; her grandchildren Lauren Rhodes Barnes-Whitehead (Dijon Williams-Watkins), Morgan Rowena Barnes-Whitehead, and Marshall William Barnes-Whitehead; and two precious great-grandchildren and a community of cousins and claimed family.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Carrie Waites may be made to the Norfolk State University Foundation. Checks should be made payable to the Norfolk State University Foundation and sent to:
Norfolk State University
700 Park Avenue, Suite 410
Norfolk, VA 23504
Please write on the memo line “In Memory/Honor of Carrie Waites -
Scholarship Support – School of Social Work”
Make gifts online
1. Access the secure online giving form at Donation Form - NSU Alumni Relations & Annual Giving.
2. Enter Amount
3. Select “Designated Gifts”
4. Type “In Memory/Honor of Carrie Waites”
