The NASW Social Work Pioneers® program welcomed 25 new inductees this year, who were recognized during the Pioneers 18th Annual Program and Luncheon, held in October in Washington, D.C. The theme was “The Future is Now: Charting a Course for Social Justice for All.”
The NASW Foundation’s Pioneer Program was launched in 1994 as a way to honor and recognize individuals whose unique dedication, commitment and determination have improved social and human conditions. Nearly 900 people have become Pioneers since the program’s beginning.
NASW Social Work Pioneer Betsy Vourlekis, PhD, LCSW, who chairs the Pioneer steering committee, delivered opening remarks. Vourlekis said she inherited the committee position from the program’s co-founders, Mark Battle and Ruth Knee, “who worked hard to preserve the history of our profession.”
“One of the ways we’re preserving the history of our profession is through all of you,” she said to attendees.
Vourlekis added that the essence of history to her is not only people writing things down, “but it’s also what needs to be written about people.” She pointed out that all Pioneer bios can be found on the NASW Foundation’s website.
NASW President Yvonne Chase, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, gave a brief history of the Pioneer program and said “its unique mission is to foster an historical memory of the profession.” She also noted that she is a former student of Mark Battle.
In Memoriam
An In Memoriam portion of the event included a special tribute to Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper, an NASW Pioneer who passed away earlier this year at the age of 102. Pioneer Patricia Martin O’Meally, LICSW, spoke about Harper, whom she had known for 40 years.
“She was an amazing, exceptional person,” Martin O’Meally said. “Bernice loved the field of social work. It has been a comfort to have her sage advice and comfort for all of these years, and her friendship. … She was one of a kind.”
Harper’s grand-nephew, Dr. James Laws, accepted a special award on Harper’s behalf.
“My great aunt loved this organization. She loved her work,” Laws said. “Thank you for all the love you showed her during her career. She was a Pioneer.”
Other Pioneers who recently passed away were remembered in a video. They are Alejandro Garcia, Helen R. Hamlin, Marjorie Brittain Hammock, John D. Herron, Leslie Leighninger, Anita J. Mackey, Carlton Munson, and Annette Raymon Smith.
Panels and Keynotes
The program also included a student panel, with four social work students giving presentations about their areas of study. Pioneer Steven Hornberger, MSW, introduced and moderated the panel. He noted that the students would be the future pioneers. “They will be the ones to shape the future of the profession,” he said.
The student panelists were: Ashley Wright, a dual degree MSW/MPH candidate at San Diego State University; Bernice Lorna Gaspard, MSW, who recently graduated from Fordham University; Roxy Sprowl, an MSW candidate at the University of Michigan; and Carmen Ross, an MSW candidate at Howard University.
The keynote panel, called “Election Eve Chat,” comprised NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C; Julie E. Shroyer, MSW, who also was inducted into the Pioneer program during the event; and The Hon. Alan Wheat, chairman of Wheat Shroyer Government Relations and a former member of Congress.
The panel discussed the 2024 presidential and congressional races, and outlined some of the main policies from each presidential campaign, including gun laws, immigration, health care and civil rights. They also gave a brief overview of Project 2025 from the Trump campaign. There are things outlined in Project 2025 that “the executive branch can do without congressional consideration,” Wheat said. These include policies that impact student loans, veterans, natural disasters (cutting FEMA funding), Medicare and Medicaid, and abortion rights and contraception.
They urged social workers to be involved by voting, running for office, and talking with family and friends about how the different policies affect their day-to-day lives.
The New Pioneers
Pioneer Kathy Wehrmann, PhD, MSW, chair of the Pioneer planning committee and a former NASW president, introduced the new pioneers one by one as they accepted their awards. The 2024 inductees are:
Closing
In closing remarks, NASW Foundation Director Brian Williams, LAPSW, said even though the NASW Foundation is primarily focused on fundraising, it’s also there to “support and advance the profession.”He said the impact of the Pioneers is immeasurable. He acknowledged their impressive work, but added “It is the grace with which you perform that work that is so inspiring.”