By Paul R. Pace, News staff Former U.S. Rep. and social worker Edolphus “Ed” Towns recently announced the launch of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, or CRISP. From left, Charles E. Lewis, deputy chief of staff and communications director for former U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns; former NASW CEO Elizabeth J. Clark; and Towns pose for a picture at an event to launch Towns’ Congressional... 

By Rena Malai, News staff Pressure cooker bombs killed three people and injured about 164 when they exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April. In response to the tragedy, NASW’s Massachusetts Chapter has gathered resources and information online to help those affected by the bombings. Julie Balasalle, front, government relations and political action associate for NASW’s Massachusetts Chapter, runs... 

By Paul R. Pace, News staff 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,... 

By Paul R. Pace, News staff 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. NASW’s new CEO, Angelo McClain, left, stands with Betsy... 

By Paul R. Pace, News staff 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. NASW Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director Marc Herstand, left, chats with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., on Capitol Hill. Their efforts garnered 22 co-sponsors of... 

By Rena Malai, News staff 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. James Kelly 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... 

By Rena Malai and Paul R. Pace, News staff 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. Carol Trust, executive director of the Massachusetts Chapter, receives the Outstanding Chapter Executive of the Year Award. The four-day meeting, with the theme “A Profession... 

NASW, through its Legal Defense Fund, filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. The case involves whether the Indian Child Welfare Act applies to a private adoption initiated by a non-Indian parent. Previously, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that a Native American child could be not be adopted by non-Native American parents without complying with... 

NASW News’ Social Work in the Public Eye NASW member Kenneth Hanna created Lion Youth and Community Services LLC, an Afrocentric counseling and group therapy center in St. Cloud, Minn., because he wanted to see more African-American leaders, according to an article in the St Cloud Times. Kenneth Hanna “I’ve really always had a passion for working here, in this town, with the African-American kids here,” Hanna... 

By Rena Malai, News staff A group of MSW students from the University of Southern California School of Social Work visited the NASW national office in March to learn more about the social work profession. Lileana Duarte, left, and Lener Jimenez listen to a presentation while visiting the NASW national office in March. The students are enrolled in Child Development and Social Policy at USC, and spent a week in Washington,...