10/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/16/2024 10:54
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) on October 19 will honor 25 of the most influential social workers in the nation at its NASW Social Work Pioneers® program with a celebratory induction ceremony. The theme this year is "The Future is Now: Charting a Course for Social Justice for All."
During the event, the NASW Foundation will induct the chosen few into its Pioneers program, which was created to honor social workers who have contributed to the evolution and enrichment of the profession.
"For nearly three decades, the NASW Foundation has recognized the outstanding achievements of Social Work Pioneers, individuals who have truly elevated the profession," said NASWF Director Brian Williams. "These pioneers have left an indelible mark on social work, spearheading the development of countless human services programs and government policies, which have positively impacted the lives of individuals from all walks of society. This year, we're pleased to celebrate these remarkable individuals and their extraordinary contributions to the social work profession."
Two visionary social workers, Ruth Knee and Mark Battle, conceived this program so that the contributions of social workers would be chronicled and historically preserved.
At the event, Dr. Anthony Estreet, NASW CEO and President of the NASWF, will be one of the speakers sharing insights on how the U.S. election may create new challenges for social workers in the short and long-term.
Estreet will be joined by leaders from Wheat Shroyer Government Relations: the Honorable Alan Wheat, Chairman, and Julie Shroyer, MSW, President and CEO. Shroyer will also be inducted as a Pioneer during the event.
In addition, a student panel will explore with Pioneers their ideas about how to address and solve post-election social problems and issues.
The inductees include:
Franklin Brooks, PhD, MSW, who has for 40 years been recognized for his role as anadvocate and champion for the LGBTQIA+ communityin Maine and across New England.He has been unwavering in the fight for equality, justice, and the advancement of affirming and culturally responsive services for vulnerable youth, adults, and seniors.William Neil Brown(1919-2009) PhD, MSW, was a social work practitioner and educator who began his professional social work career after serving in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman. In 1956 he became the first Black professor at Rutgers University where he taught for the next 33 years, retiring in 1989. In 1961, Brown was invited to debate Malcolm X on "Integration versus Separation." A recording of this debate is now part of the permanent collection in the Library of Congress.Karen Bullock,PhD, LICSW, is the Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor in the Boston College School of Social Work and in Global Public Health. She has been a leading force in advancing social work education and training in health disparities, health equity, serious illness care, aging and gerontology, hospice, palliative and end-of-life care decision making for the last two decades.Samuel Bernard Little, PhD, MSW, is known as a powerful advocate for equitable public housing. As founding president of the National Alliance of Resident Services in Affordable and Assisted Housing (NAR-SAAH), he served the organization for 21 years and helped to shape national housing policy, expand partnerships with community agencies, leverage funds to support resident programs, and address impacts of changing economic conditions and shifting political priorities. Little has served with three large public housing authorities as well, in Baltimore, Maryland, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
Louise T. Locker, MSW,foundedthe Elf Louise Christmas Project, and distributes gifts to some 20,000 children each year, now totaling more than 1.5 million. Every year, 500 Santas with Elf teams deliver presents and love to families who would not otherwise have a Christmas. She thousands to fundraise and join in as volunteers. Today, still, ninety-eight cents out of every dollar raised goes to buying the toys. Louis Lowy(1920-2021), PhD, MSW, was aninternational social work educator at the Boston University School of Social Work and a globally-recognized gerontologist. He is known for advancing the research and practice of gerontological social work among students and practitioners worldwide. As with other prominent German-born social workers who were exiles or survivors of the Holocaust, Dr. Lowy contributed to the restoration of social work education in Germany and other Nazi-occupied countries. Goutham Menon, PhD, MA,is considered an expert and an innovator/disruptor in information and communication technologies. He has presented papers at numerous national and international conferences over the years. His scholarship has focused primarily on e-therapy, electronic advocacy, social work education, technology and international social work. Since 2023, Menon has been serving as CEO of the Network for Social Work Management.M. Patricia O'Brien, PhD, MSW,is a pioneer in research on feminist practice and carceral corrections, with an emphasis on advocacy and transformative social justice. As one of the earliest researchers in social work to focus on incarcerated women, her research was the first of its kind. Her social work direct practice for more than ten years focused on working with battered women and their children in multiple sites.Kathleen J. Pottick, PhD, MSW, MA, is an educator, researcher, and higher education administrator, known for her research on better understanding the dynamics of, and barriers to, the provision of effective mental health services to children and adolescents with racial and ethnic disparities. In addition to her faculty role at the Rutgers School of Social Work, she served as a core faculty member of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research. Susan P. Robbins, PhD, MSW,is regarded as an expert in forensic social work, and she has provided expert witness testimony in cases that involve false allegations of sex abuse, proper forensic interviewing of children, and substance abuse. She has been a mediator with the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center for more than 40 years. She has trained caseworkers, social workers, and supervisors for Children's Protective Services in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico and has been qualified as an expert in Texas, Washington D.C., Illinois, Idaho, and Arkansas.Michael Sherraden, PhD, MSW,is a teacher, researcher, and policy specialist. He is the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis and the founding director of the Center for Social Development in Washington University's Brown School. He is renowned for his work to create and test social innovations that improve social and economic well-being, especially for marginalized populations. He is known for developing asset-based policy, which makes assets available to everyone, supporting the development of human potential. Julie E. Shroyer, MSW,is a skilled advocate, leader, and negotiator. Shroyer is president and CEO of Wheat Shroyer Government Relations (WSGR), a public service and health-oriented federal advocacy firm that she founded in 2021 in partnership with former Congressman Alan Wheat. For more than 35 years, she has been a respected advisor to congressional and presidential campaigns, for er expertise in health and mental health care public policy. Kimberly Strom, PhD, MSW, is a Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and holds the first, and to date only, endowed professorship in ethics in the field of social work. Strom is an internationally recognized educator, trainer, and scholar who specializes in the interpretation of professional standards to the complexities of contemporary practice in social work and other fields. She is the IFSW Ethics Commissioner for North America. Dexter R. Voisin, PhD, MSW, was an early pioneer providing vital clinical services for individuals dealing with co-occurring HIV, drug use and mental health challenges during a time when stigma and accessibility barriers were prevalent. He currently serves as dean of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. His trailblazing research illuminates the fundamental structural causes of violence and health disparities - particularly how they disproportionately affect Black youth and adults. James (Jim) Wayne, MSW, was the first social worker with an MSW elected to the Kentucky state legislature, representing the social justice voice in committee hearings and on the House floor. During his renowned tenure of almost 30 years, Rep. Wayne chaired the state Poverty Commission and the House Committee on Poverty. Wayne focused on issues ranging from state tax reform to protecting our vulnerable Kentucky children and youth from sex abuse. He championed the Affordable Housing Trust Fund which led to over 11,000 homes in the state being built for low-income residents. He sponsored, and/or passed legislation for campus safety, education, public health, LGBTQ+ rights, gun safety, and protection of workers.
The gathering will be held at the historic Omni Shoreham Hotel, in Washington, D.C., on October 19.