“My journey with NASW began as a master’s student,” says Gavin Wisdom, president of the NASW Montana Chapter. He agreed to serve on the chapter’s board as a student member and after a time became one of the board’s more senior members.
“We had a period (on the board) when we did not have an executive director and (we had) a president vacancy,” Wisdom explains.
“I figured I would put my experience to use with the association and form a committee to find a new ED,” he says. “This helped to serve as continuity in our chapter.”
Now, for the first time in six years, the chapter has a full board and a “wonderful” executive director, Nathan Stahley, Wisdom notes.
“It was a great way to help the chapter gain continuity and structure,” he says of serving as president. “I was glad to be that person.”
“This past year we have had a pretty robust policy and action committee,” he says. “I think policy and legislation aside, having a full board has increased our capacity to reach more social workers in Montana and support our network.”
“My motto as board president has been to ask ourselves whether we have these three key components: visibility, accessibility, and accountability. I feel like with our full board now we have been able to achieve that.”
Wisdom is the Northern Rockies regional director of the Montana Conservation Corps (MCC), a young adult voluntary development program modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, using conservation projects to foster citizenship and personal growth in its members.