Staff Biography
Kimberly Giardina, DSW, MSW
Executive Director
kgiardina@sdsu.edu
Dr. Giardina, who holds a Doctor of Social Work from the University of Southern California and a Master of Social Work from San Diego State University, was appointed as the Executive Director of the Academy for Professional Excellence in January 2026. Dr. Giardina previously worked for the County of San Diego for nearly 25 years, most recently as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Health and Human Services Agency. Previously, she served as the director for the County Child and Family Well-Being department, where she led the transformation of the department from one of the nation’s largest child welfare systems into a child and family well-being system. Dr. Giardina was instrumental in implementing a vision of improving coordination, communication, and partnership between family-serving organizations in San Diego to help strengthen families and communities so that fewer children experience abuse and neglect.
Dr. Giardina served in leadership positions in several key initiatives, including co-chair of the Live Well Center for Innovation and Leadership with San Diego State University and co-chair of the San Diego County Substance Use and Overdose Prevention Taskforce. She was also an active member of the County Welfare Directors Association and Southern Area Consortium of Human Services. Dr. Giardina has consulted on child welfare issues at the national, state, and local levels. She is a strong advocate for including diversity, justice, equity, and antiracist strategies into systems that serve the community to advance economic opportunities and address poverty.