Our Mission
We are working to promote the recovery and healing of individuals, families, and communities affected by adverse life circumstances that hinder mind, body, and spiritual development by offering treatment for chronic, generational, and historic trauma.
Vision Statement
Our hope is to increase the prioritization of health, stability, and innovation in diverse communities.
Clean Slate Co-Managing Partners
Dr. Mary Nelums
Dr. Nelums is a licensed clinical social worker and received her Master of Social Work (MSW) and Doctor of Social Work (PhD) degrees from University of Illinois Jane Addams School of Social Work in Chicago, IL. She began her social work practice working with head start families and families in public housing developments in Chicago, IL. Over the past 30 years, her academic career has included the following: Associate Professor at Aurora University, Lecturer at University of Illinois at Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work in Chicago, and Chicago State University. She was an Associate Professor and Director of Field Instruction in the School of Social Work at Jackson State University. Further, she had a highly active private practice that focused on the impact of trauma on women’s health and relationships. She retired from Jackson State University in 2007.
Dr. Nelums’ teaching includes, but is not limited to, practice, human behavior, and mental health courses in the academy. She was one of the premier faculty members in the Master of Social Work program and served as the Director of Field Instruction during her tenure at Jackson State University. Her passion and love is serving the community and oppressed populations, with this in mind, she founded the Professional Developmental Association in Chicago, Illinois. This program received a federal grant for over $250,000 and its mission was to reduce the number of minority children length of stay in foster care. The services delivered to families were intensive, in-home, trauma-focused, and culturally and racially sensitive.
She has further devoted her passion and time to working with the elderly (with a focus on Alzheimer’s/Dementia). She is a sought-after speaker in the areas of aging and caregiving. Over the past several years, Dr. Nelums has received numerous awards and recognitions, most notably, being honored as one of University of Illinois finest, this honor was the 16th out of 160,000 graduates. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences. She is published and her research interests include Youth Violence, Children being left alone, and Self-awareness and the social work process. Her most recent publication is co-authored with Dr. Osby, Call to Action: Social Workers Addressing the Wounds of Racism and Oppression, Social Work Advocates, 2020.
The Mary S. Nelums Foundation awards financial scholarships to master level social work students and has awarded over $10,000 in scholarships. In 2015, the foundation Board of Directors voted to adopt a third-grade class in Jackson Public School. The scholars receive critical thinking, self-esteem, problem-solving, and social skills training. They are also provided with an exposure trip at the end of every school year.
Dr. Olga Osby
Until recently, Dr. Olga Osby was a professor and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work at Barry University in Miami, Florida. She has previously served as the Interim Associate Dean at Jackson State University’s School of Social Work in Jackson, Mississippi, and was on faculty there for 13 years. Dr. Osby received her Master of Social Work (MSW) and Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She has also served as a faculty member and Director of Field Instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work and as the Chair of the Department of Social Work at Mississippi Valley State University.
Dr. Osby’s practice and research interests include African-American women in rural communities, poverty, economic inequality, financial capability and asset building for low-wealth families, as well as kinship care among African-American grandfathers. She is very active in the professional community- presenting at professional conferences and has several journal and book chapters that have been published. While on faculty at Jackson State University, Dr. Osby was awarded the 2013-2015 Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair Award through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for $220,000, to fund her research on African-American grandfathers.
Dr. Osby has been acknowledged for excellence in teaching and research, and has been presented with the Inabel Burns Lindsay Alumni Award, named after the founding Dean of Howard University School of Social Work, for her work in community organizing.