By Rena Malai, News staff
Diana Stroud was appointed to the NASW Assurance Services (ASI) board of directors in July, replacing Paul D’Agustino, whose term expired.
Diana Stroud
“Paul was a terrific leader, and was instrumental in helping to launch ASI during his term,” said Tony Benedetto, ASI’s executive vice president.
D’Agustino is now chairman of NASWIC.
Stroud, MSW, is the assistant dean for advancement and alumni affairs at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has been employed at the University of Illinois for more than 15 years.
Stroud began her social work career in the 1970s, and has a background in public policy administration. She has worked as a medical social worker, in child welfare, and has contributed services to NASW-Illinois. With a determination to prevent child abuse, Stroud operated a child welfare agency in Peoria, Ill., for more than 10 years, and is a founding member of Prevent Child Abuse in Illinois.
Stroud’s efforts in the social work field earned her the NASW Social Worker of the Year Award in both Peoria and Illinois in 1990. She also is a member of the League of Women Voters and Alpha Delta Mu.
Prior to her appointment to the ASI board, Stroud put her background in business and finance to use as treasurer of NASW’s national board. Stroud said her new position on the ASI board gives her the opportunity to provide NASW members with quality service.
“Having ASI and the services they offer provides a unique opportunity for our members to receive quality insurance coverage, and for us to support NASW overall,” Stroud said. “It’s a great combination; through ASI we have a lot of opportunities to support the programs of NASW that we may not have been able to do otherwise.”
In addition to insurance services, an Employee Assistance Program database is one of the newest incentives ASI offers, Benedetto said. The program is designed to list contact and background information for members who are qualified to provide EAP services. Management companies seeking EAP providers can then access the member database, and members receive case assignments. Benedetto said hundreds of case assignments have been filled, providing ASI members with employment opportunities.
“The ability to have counseling available is important,” Benedetto said. “It’s one of the benefits of being a member. We’re able to do things for our members that may be more difficult for them to do individually — and at no extra cost.”
“The services ASI offers benefits NASW members as a whole,” he added. “Anyone can join, as long as they are an NASW member.”
NASW Assurance Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of NASW and provides a range of life insurance, liability coverage, long-term disability and term life products. Benedetto said lower rates are negotiated with insurance carriers in order to provide NASW members with a broader range of insurance benefits at comparable pricing.
For a complete description of ASI services and products, visit www.naswassurance.org
From the September 2012 NASW News.
