2023 Social Work Awards Honorees Announced

Lifetime Achievement Award
Carol Carrillo, MSW

Carol Mizerany Carrillo has had a successful 35-year career in Child Welfare, working at both the micro and macro levels of practice. She holds a master’s in Social Work from Washington University Brown School of Social Work in St. Louis and a postgraduate certificate in Human Service Administration from San Francisco State University.

Carol is passionate about developing programs and public awareness campaigns to promote child abuse prevention, child safety, injury prevention, and family support. She has worked for well-known statewide organizations, such as the Salvation Army Residence for Children in St. Louis, Children’s Home Society in Los Angeles and Oakland, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates in San Francisco and Contra Costa Counties.

For the past 25 years, Carol has served as the Child Abuse Prevention Council’s Executive Director, developing and managing peer support programs, parent education programs for at risk families, community education and child advocacy programs. Before assuming the top leadership role, she volunteered on CAPC’s Board of Directors. A long-time NASW member, Carol served as a Delegate Assembly Member for the Northern Region of California.

Carol Mizerany Carrillo resides in Benicia, California with her husband, David, who is also a social worker in the area. Together, they have three adult children, Alicia, Anthony, and Abriana living nearby in Bay Area communities.

Social Worker of the Year Award
Tyler M. Argüello, Ph.D., DCSW

Tyler M. Argüello (he/él/they/elle) is a Queer, gay, and nonbinary practivist, that is, scholar-activist, who has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 29 years, primarily around community mental health, HIV, 2LGBTQIAPK+ communities, and substance use. Currently, he is a Professor in and the Director of the School of Social Work (SSW) at the California State University, Sacramento. In the SSW, he oversees both the BASW and MSW programs and overall administration. He instructs courses in advanced behavioral health practice, practicum supervision, psychodiagnostics, working with LGBTQ+ publics, and power / privilege / oppression.

Dr. Argüello’s research and clinical work concerns health communication, applying Queer Theory in practice, and social identities and health inequities, namely HIV. Dr. Argüello is the Principal Investigator on several studies regarding intergenerational HIV stress within Queer populations, Queer competencies in social work education, and 2LGBTQIA+ wellbeing produced through our built environments. Notable publications include a first text on what Queer Social Work “looks” like (Argüello, 2019), an original praxis model on “HIV Stress Exchange” (Argüello, 2022), anti-queer stigma in social work practice (Leitch, McGeough, & Argüello, 2022 In Press), and various LGBTQ+-affirmative practice models (Argüello, 2020, 2021, 2022).

He maintains a recognized psychotherapy practice in Sacramento (including Queer-focused, HIV-informed, and Trans clinics and consultation), is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LCSW [CA] & LICSW [WA]), a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), and he is a Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (DCSW).

To stay connected with Tyler, please follow: linktr.ee/DrTylerArguello.

Community Member of the Year Award
Kathy Hunter

Kathy Hunter was born in Texas and graduated from Texas A & M University with a double major in psychology and education. She went on to receive her Masters Degree and PPS credential. She began her career working as a Pyscho-educational specialist at the UNM Children’s Psychiatric Hospital. She moved to California where she taught and counseled students with emotional disturbances later becoming the principal of an alternative school specializing in providing a therapeutic milieu for students whose emotional issues created barriers to receiving an education on a comprehensive campus.

Kathy is now the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Safety and Wellness for the William S. Hart UHSD. During her tenure, she has created wellness centers on 17 campuses staffed by wellness coordinators and developed a social work department with social workers assigned to every school. She is most proud of the incredible team of social workers currently serving the students and families of her district.

Organization of the Year Award
Child & Family Center

Since 1976, Child & Family Center has built on what our founders started by providing quality care and services to children and families in need to the most vulnerable population in our community. Child & Family Center is a certified Medi-Cal/Medicare community mental health clinic, Santa Clarita Valley’s longest-serving Department of Mental Health-contracted provider, and the primary provider for children in our region.

Today, with over 150 staff members, serving over 950 children, youth and families monthly, the Center provides comprehensive prevention, early intervention, diagnostic evaluation and counseling, behavioral therapeutic services, outpatient and intensive field-based mental health services, outpatient drug and alcohol treatment and prevention services as well as domestic violence services, and emergency 30-day DV shelter for children, adolescents and adults in the Santa Clarita, Antelope and San Fernando Valleys.