Sarah Christa Butts, MSW, Director of Public Policy
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

Sarah Christa Butts, MSW, is Director of Public Policy at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), headquarters office in Washington, DC. Butts is responsible for leading the association’s public policy, political and legislative affairs agenda, overseeing field organizing, working at both the national level and with 55 NASW state chapters, political candidates’ fundraising and endorsement efforts, as well as developing and advancing the association’s strategic goals and objectives related to influencing the legislative and executive branches of government. Prior to joining NASW, she served as the executive director of the Grand Challenges for Social Work, and she is the founding administrator of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. Sarah started her career in public child welfare and has held direct service and administrative roles at Maryland’s Department of Human Services and the Family League of Baltimore. She is a graduate of the Title IV-E education for public child welfare program. She is co-chair of NASW’s Licensure Task Force, a member of the board of directors of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy and the Mental Health Liaison Group. She is a member of the leadership board of the Grand Challenges for Social Work and a member of the national steering committee and advisor to the International Transformational Resilience Coalition. She earned her BSW degree at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and MSW degree from University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Bruce D. Friedman, PhD, ACSW, CSWM, Professor; Past President and Executive Board Member
University of Texas at El Paso, Network for Social Work Managers

Bruce D. Friedman, PhD, ACSW, CSWM is a professor in the Department of Social Work at The University of Texas at El Paso. He is a past president of the Network and a current executive board member. He also serves as a co-convener of Social Work and Health Inequalities Network (SWHIN). He has contributed to the Social Work Encyclopedia on Macro Practice in Management and Leadership and has written several articles and books. As a community-based participatory researcher, he strives to build relationships between the university and agencies to enhance and improve the quality of social work services in the community.

Elizabeth J. Fuchs, MSW (she/her), Assistant Teaching Professor; Candidate for Missouri House of Representatives
Washington University in St. Louis

Elizabeth Fuchs is passionate about intersectional, anti-racist and anti-settler colonialist policies and deconstructing systems that perpetuate white supremacy culture. As a native St. Louisan, Fuchs contributes a local perspective to the social justice movement in the area. Fuchs leverages her intersectional identities and the positions of privilege they afford her - queer, white, cisgender and woman - to advance marginalized voices. In her previous role as manager of public policy and lobbyist for PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBTQ Advocacy organization, Fuchs learned the value of navigating policy through a theoretical social work lens. By recognizing the importance of relationships in advancing policy, social workers are uniquely trained to relate, to connect, and to empower. Prior to joining the faculty, she served as policy consultant and community healer with the Metro Trans Umbrella Group, as well as a reproductive justice activist with Planned Parenthood. Fuchs was chosen as The Advocate Magazine’s 2018 Champion of Equality for Missouri. In the spring of 2023, Elizabeth decided to take her advocacy to the next level and is now a candidate for the Missouri House of Representatives.

Stacey D. Hardy-Chandler, PhD, JD, LCSW, PGDip, Chief Executive Officer
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

Since 2022, Dr. Hardy-Chandler has served as the chief executive officer of the Association of Social Work Boards, the nonprofit association of social work regulatory bodies in the United States and Canada. Hardy-Chandler’s social work career spans more than 35 years and includes providing mental health services to diverse client populations, serving as director of field education for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Social Work and George Mason University Department of Social Work, and, most recently, serving as director of the Center for Children and Families for the City of Alexandria. She received her master’s degree in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles, her doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (Alliant International), and her Juris Doctor from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law. Hardy-Chandler also holds a postgraduate diploma in organisational leadership from Oxford University Saïd Business School. She is currently licensed as an LCSW in Nevada and Virginia.

Dr. Amml Hussein, President-Elect NASW-NJ
Civic Science Fellow, Boston University

Dr. Amml Hussein is a visionary leader dedicated to driving social justice research and innovation. With a profound commitment to advancing education, her influence is marked by a forward-thinking approach that integrates strategic foresight, future casting, and emergent technology to elevate student engagement and transform learning outcomes. At the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the premier social work accreditation body nationally, Dr. Hussein serves as a trailblazer in the design and development of the Assessment Institute, a groundbreaking post-conference initiative aimed at enhancing education through advanced assessment methodologies. This Assessment Institute serves as a dynamic knowledge hub, empowering educators, researchers, and practitioners to refine teaching and evaluation methods while ensuring the integration of assessment best practices to enrich the learning experience. Dr. Hussein's visionary leadership extends to her role as the driving force behind the Research, Policy, and Practice Student Summit—an initiative aimed at catalyzing translational research and directly impacting communities. The inaugural summit, themed "Decolonizing Social Work Education: Moving Beyond Conversations," facilitated interdisciplinary dialogues and connected student fellows with congressional offices on Capitol Hill, providing invaluable experiential learning opportunities and fostering a robust platform for research engagement and advocacy.

KyungSun Lee, MSW (she/her/hers), Senior Program Manager
Climate Advocacy Lab

A macro-social worker, KyungSun works to strengthen justice movements, foster diverse and broad coalitions, and organize communities for equitable systems and policy change. Most recently, she led efforts to grow the national guaranteed income movement, and efforts to organize legislators and advocacy groups to reclaim essential goods and services back in public hands. A first-generation college student and immigrant, KyungSun is passionate about investing in leaders of color to navigate higher education and the nonprofit advocacy field. She received her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Social and Economic Development with a policy specialization at the Brown School in Washington University in St. Louis. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies focused on Political Science, Economic Development, and Healthcare at the University of Richmond.

Charles E. Lewis, Jr., MSW, PhD, Director
Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP), Inc.

Charles E. Lewis, Jr. is the founder and director of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, a nonprofit organization created to complement the Congressional Social Work Caucus, which he helped to found as deputy chief of staff and communications director for former Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns. CRISP facilitates social workers’ engagement with Congress and the federal government. He graduated from the Ph.D. program at Columbia University in 2002. He went on the Hill in 2010 after teaching at Howard University School of Social Work. Dr. Lewis serves on several social work boards, including the Grand Challenges for Social Work Leadership Board and the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare Board of Directors, in which he was inducted as a Fellow in 2021. He received his MSW in clinical counseling from Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work in 1997.

Jennifer Luna, MSSW, Program Coordinator
Network for Social Work Managers

Jennifer Luna, MSSW, proudly serves as the Program Coordinator for the Network for Social Work Managers. She brings over 20 years of experience in presenting and training on career development topics specific to the profession of social work at the local, state, and national level. Her expertise lies in macro social work, professional branding, academic branding and the professional development cycle of social workers. She is also a certified Gallup Strengths Coach and a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Teacher, Trainer, and Speaker, helping social workers identify and leverage their strengths, skills, and leadership potential. As the former director of the DiNitto Center for Career Services at University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, she established and administered the daily operations of the nationally ranked and model program that serves over 800 students and alumni. She continues to collaborates with other schools of social work, NASW, and CSWE on career development issues, including licensure, labor market, and professional identity. She also writes a column for The New Social Worker Magazine, and has published and spoken on topics such as personal branding, academic job search, and resiliency. Jennifer's mission is to uplift the profession of social work one social worker at a time, one organization at a time and one system at a time.

Goutham Menon, PhD, MA, MBA, CEO
Network for Social Work Managers

Dr. Goutham Menon is currently serving as CEO of the Network for Social Work Management. He earned a master’s degree in social work from the Madras School of Social Work, Chennai, India and his Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his MBA (Sustainability & Entrepreneurship) from the University of Nevada, Reno. As an academic, he has over 30 years of academic experience at the undergraduate & graduate levels at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA); University of South Carolina (USC); University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA-Associate Professor); University of Nevada at Reno (UNR - Professor & Director); and Loyola University Chicago (LUC - Professor & Dean; Special Assistant to the President – Strategic Plan Implementation). He co-founded Calming Chaos Co, an enterprise that consults on accreditation; global higher education partnerships; and technology for social good. Dr. Menon’s areas of expertise lie in the utilization of information and communication technologies for human services; distance education; leadership; innovation & strategy; mental wellness; community development and higher education. He has been actively involved in various leadership roles at the Council on Social Work Education, including serving as an elected member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Menon is a trained site visitor for CSWE for over 10 years and was a commissioner on the Commission on Accreditation. Dr. Menon served on the board of the National Association of Deans and Directors (NADD) as Vice-President and Program Chair (2016-2019) and as Vice President of Communications (2019-2020). He served on the board of International Consortium for Social Development from 2000-2018 as Vice-President and then as Secretary General for during 2008-2018. He is on the advisory board of the Global Institute of Social Work and is past-President of the Network for Social Work Managers.

Torey Ian Powell, MSW, Senior Advisor
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; University of Houston Alum

Torey Ian Powell currently serves as a senior advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he provides technical advice and consultation on policies, plans, procedures, and regulations pertaining to equal employment opportunity, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs, projects, and initiatives. Prior to this role, Torey served as the Deputy Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and the USDA's first National Coordinator for Agricultural Youth Programs for the USDA's Office of the Secretary. Torey is a disabled veteran of the United States Army, including a 2010 deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. His distinguished service concluded in 2016 with multiple commendations. Torey serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and Adelphi University School of Social Work.

Lisa Ramirez-Branum, Principal Healthcare Analyst
MITRE Corporation's Health FFRDC; University of Texas-Austin Alum

Lisa Ramirez-Branum is currently working with the MITRE Corporation's Health FFRDC, a nonprofit organization that works in the public interest to address complex structural, technical, behavioral, and social challenges that affect health and healthcare delivery. Before joining MITRE, she worked for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). While at CBO, Lisa, analyzed the federal cost of legislative proposals for the U.S. Congress and she was part of a team that developed the agency’s federal spending projections for the Medicaid program. Prior to CBO, she worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) where she analyzed legislative proposals relating to federal school nutrition programs. Lisa joined USDA as a Presidential Management Fellow after completing her masters in social work at the University Texas at Austin. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University.

Sessions

Navigating the Dynamic Social Work Landscape: Trends, Insights, and Future Directions in Workforce Development

This keynote explores the dynamic ecosystem of social work, focusing on emerging workforce trends and their wide-ranging implications. By analyzing the most current data and insights, this presentation provides valuable guidance for students and alumni, highlighting meaningful career paths and strategic opportunities. Topics covered include enrollment dynamics, specialized practice pathways, salary structures, and the transformative impact of dual degree programs on career trajectories. The presentation features a comprehensive analysis of workforce trends among BSW, MSW and DSW/PhD students and alumni, revealing employment patterns, salary trends, and specialized practice areas. Data-driven insights from surveys highlight emerging trends and specialized practice domains within the social work profession. Furthermore, the keynote challenges the profession to extend beyond survey data collection efforts to provide actionable policies that address gaps in workforce preparation initiatives and educational curricula. By advocating for curriculum enhancements that integrate experiential and immersive learning opportunities bridging research, policy, and practice, attendees will be empowered to contribute effectively to addressing complex social challenges.

Forging Futures: Alumni Leadership Roles in Government Panel

Alumni will share their career journeys and how they use their skills in the workplace. They will share their motivations for macro work, strategies for communicating the value of their degree, and tips for students interested in this career pathway. 

Leading for Change – The Network for Social Work Management

For over 25 years the Network for Social Work Management (NSWM) has been designing competencies needed for becoming a social work manager/leader. Now in their third edition, the Human Services Management and Leadership Competencies have become a mainstay for social work management. This session will inform participants on the NSWM competencies, and our certification programs including the Graduate Human Services in Management Certificate for masters and DSW students and the Certified Social Work Manager™ for social workers seeking an advanced credential to grow their leadership and management skills.

Measuring Competence for the Social Work Profession

This session will focus on the support and services ASWB provides to regulatory boards in the U.S. and Canada with a focus on the development of the social work licensure examinations. Dr. Hardy-Chandler will discuss the nature of social work as a licensed profession, what that means, and why it matters. She will also discuss current ASWB initiatives – including the Social Work Workforce Coalition-led Social Work Census – and ways CCDSWE members can be involved in these efforts.

Small Group Discussions - Best Practices Share-Outs

Share your successes, challenges, and innovations with others. In small groups, we will give CCDSWE members the opportunity to grow our knowledge base as a career development profession.

Preparing Students for Policy Practice and MACRO Careers

Ms. Butts will share her experience and expertise, as Director of Public Policy for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the nation’s largest social work membership organization. She will present lessons learned and use examples from over 15 years’ experience as a MACRO social worker, working in nonprofits, government, higher education, and membership organizations, that provide insight about what’s needed to effectively train students for careers in MACRO practice.

Social Work is Political - A Panel Discussion

Social Work Professionals will share their career journeys and how they use their social work education to navigate the political spaces. They will share their passion for this work, successes and challenges encountered and why more social workers are needed in politics.

Registration

Registration is closed!

Rates

Accommodations

We are not designating a specific conference hotel as several options are available in Washington, DC, with varying costs and amenities. Here are a few hotels near the NASW Headquarters location: 

• Kellogg Conference Hotel
• YOTEL Washington DC
• Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC / U.S. Capitol
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Washington DC NoMa Union Station

For those also attending the 2024 NASW Conference, you can also consider using those hotel accommodations.

Event Contacts