NASW’s new CEO, Angelo McClain, left, stands with Betsy Clark, who recently stepped down as head of NASW after serving in the position for 12 years. Angelo McClain says he plans to build on social work traditions. NASW’s new CEO, Angelo McClain, said he is eager to build on the foundation that social work pioneers have worked hard to achieve. “There are many of us who were around 30 plus years ago when the social work profession did not get the respect it deserved,” said McClain, who started work as NASW’s top administrator on May 13. “The clout and influence we have as a profession today were not gain...

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Carol Trust, executive director of the NASW Massachusetts Chapter, receives the Outstanding Chapter Executive of the Year award during the Annual Leadership Meeting in April. — Rena Malai and Paul R. Pace, News staff Conference features workshops, Hill visits, award ceremonies. NASW chapter executive directors, presidents and presidents-elect traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to participate in the 2013 Annual Leadership Meeting held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The four-day meeting, with the theme “A Profession of Leaders in a Leading Profession,” offered an opportunity for NASW leaders to network, learn...

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Social workers serve on committees that provide oversight. Social workers are doing their part to help shape their states’ health insurance marketplaces, formerly known as health insurance exchanges. A key component of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance marketplaces are being constructed so individuals and small businesses can shop for coverage. As of May 2, 17 states and the District of Columbia were expected to operate state-based marketplaces, seven states were planning for a state-federal partnership marketplace and 26 states will default to the federal health insurance marketplace, according to the Kaiser Family Foundati...

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April 2013 Board's Action Context Finances Received financial statements as of Feb. 28, 2013 Treasurer Mary McCarthy reported that as of Feb. 28, 2013, NASW’s total asset position was $17.3 million. Total expenses as of Feb. 28, 2013, were $11.1 million, $318,000 below budget due to cost containment efforts across divisions. Appro...

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NASW’s Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director Marc Herstand, left, chats with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., on Capitol Hill during ALM’s Advocacy Day. As part of the NASW Annual Leadership Meeting in April, attendees advocated for the profession on Capitol Hill. About 100 chapter leaders made personal visits to their congressional representatives during Advocacy Day on April 11. Their efforts garnered 22 co-sponsors of the Social Work Reinvestment Act as well as some who signed on to join the Congressional Social Work Caucus. The caucus presently has 53 members. NASW’s Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director Marc Herstand ...

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Board's Action Context Finances Received financial statements as of Feb. 28, 2013 Treasurer Mary McCarthy reported that as of Feb. 28, 2013, NASW’s total asset position was $17.3 million. Total expenses as of Feb. 28, 2013, were $11.1 million, $318,000 below budget due to cost containment efforts across divisions. Approved the FY 2013-14 budget. ...

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NASW member Dennis Bumgarner was featured in an article in Indiana’s Journal & Courier, when he gave a presentation called “The World of Young People Today” during a Youth Worker Café networking luncheon sponsored by the Indiana Youth Group Institute. Bumgarner, a licensed clinical social worker, says it’s important to understand how environment shapes the lives of today’s youths. “One aspect of the world they live in today is that children are more alone than they ever have been, an average of 3.5 hours a day,” Bumgarner said. He also points out that cultural stimulation is up, while ...

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Karen Haynes, (photo right) center,  president of California State University, San Marcos, talks with students. Much like a social worker attending to the welfare of others, being a college president is like being a mother hen that knows no boundaries, said James Kelly, past president of NASW and current president of Menlo College in California. As a college president, Kelly said he uses every social work skill he possesses on a daily basis. “It is impossible for me to separate my social work self from my educator self,” Kelly said. “Some days I’m in clinical mode, I am accepting and I am a listener; I help...

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Springtime is a time of growth and renewal in nature, and this spring has been a time of renewal at NASW as well. In May, the national office of NASW experienced a major change in leadership: the departure of longtime CEO Dr. Betsy Clark and the arrival of her successor in that role, Dr. Angelo McClain. In the 12 years she served NASW as executive director and CEO, Dr. Clark has accomplished a lot: the formation of the NASW Foundation and the Social Work Policy Institute; the transition of the former NASW Insurance Trust into Assurance Services Inc., our current insurance arm; spearheading the development of the Social Work Reinvestment A...

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Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, seated, signs into law the NASW Massachusetts Social Work Safety in the Workplace bill in February. The law puts in place violence prevention and crisis response plans. NASW-Massachusetts and the Boston University School of Social Work led the efforts to get the bill passed. Massachusetts Governor Signs Legislation on Social Work Safety in the Workplace Social workers and others in direct care settings in Massachusetts will be better protected from violence, thanks to the efforts led by the NASW Massachusetts Chapter and the Boston University School of Social Work. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed i...

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