Dr. Jay Berlin named NASW National Public Citizen of the Year

SACRAMENTO, CA – Dr. Jay Berlin, NASW-CA’s 2017 Public Citizen of the Year, is being honored for the same award by NASW on a national level.

The NASW Public Citizen of the Year Award honors an outstanding member of the community who is not a social worker but whose accomplishments exemplify the values and mission of professional social work.

During the past 40 years, Dr. Jay Berlin has assumed many leadership roles related to the foster care of children.

In 1973 Dr. Berlin initiated a foster care program for runaway youth for Huckleberry Youth Services (now Alternative Family Services, Inc. or AFS). While there, he earned an MS degree in Marriage and Family Counseling followed by what is now called the Marriage and Family Therapist license. Dr. Berlin later earned a Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology from the Professional School of Psychology then in San Francisco. Dr. Berlin has consistently directed AFS for its entire existence.

He served as a founding member of the national Foster Family Treatment Association (FFTA) and served as national president twice. He has also served several terms on the board of directors of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services and on several occasions served as the Chair of that organization’s Foster Family Agency Committee.

The award will be presented to Dr. Berlin in conjunction with the NASW National Conference, which will be held June 20-23, 2018 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. The conference provides opportunities to earn up to 25.5 CEUs, participate in unique professional development seminars, and hear from a diverse group of speakers. Van Jones, CNN Correspondent, and President and Founder of the nonprofit Dream Corps, will serve as opening Keynote Speaker.

For more information on the conference please visit: https://www.socialworkers.org/Events/Conferences/2018-NASW-National-Conference.aspx

Contact Information:

Jolene Hui, LCSW

NASW-CA

916-379-7577

jhui@naswca.org