Amy Walkner image

Learn more about Amy Walkner, the Evaluation and Credentialing Specialist for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy.

Amy is a licensed social worker with over 15 years’ direct practice, research, data, and policy experience in the areas of adoption, foster care, family relationships, and children’s mental health. She is excited to be joining a team of professionals dedicated to improving the child welfare system. Amy obtained a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a master’s degree in social work from Tulane University, and a Ph.D. in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota.

  1. What is your job title, and what will you be doing? As an Evaluation and Credentialing Specialist, I am part of the team working to develop systems to evaluate the work we do at the Academy, as well as develop a credentialing system for child welfare workers and supervisors.
  2. What are you surprisingly good at? I am a classically trained musician who plays the bass clarinet. I’ve been playing with a local wind ensemble for over ten years. My ensemble specializes in works by international composers, which has led to some incredible performing opportunities (China, Brazil, and Spain, to name a few).
  3. What do you like to do outside of work? In my free time I love to bake, read books, travel, enjoy the outdoors with friends, and visit family near Milwaukee, WI.