Hall of Distinction Announces Social Work Leaders

The California Social Work Hall of Distinction Committee has announced the social work leaders
selected for induction in 2015. From a vast array of extraordinary nomination submissions, this year’s inductees will be: Sandra Baker, pioneer in the identification and treatment of child sexual abuse; Dr. Ellen Dunbar, former professor and NASW-CA Director and founder of the CSU Stanislaus MSW program that brought highly-trained social workers to rural communities; Dr. Nancy Humphreys, social work educator and advocate for the profession and for political issues such as women’s and LGBT rights; Dr. Terry Jones, social justice advocate and community developer who helped found the CSU East Bay Social Work Department; Dr. Kenji Murase, champion for social justice, equality, and mental health services in Asian American and refugee communities; and Dr. Richard Salsgiver, educator, researcher, and advocate for disability rights and awareness.

This distinguished group will be recognized at an induction ceremony and reception on the afternoon of October 10, 2015 at the Holiday Inn San Francisco International Airport. The ceremony is held in conjunction with the NASW-CA Annual Conference. Everyone is invited to attend and to place a tribute message in the commemorative program. Email cswa@usc.edu to request an invitation. NASW-CA Annual Conference participants can make reservations during their online registration.

Since its inception in 2002, the mission of the California Social Work Hall of Distinction is to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the social work profession and/or social work practice in California. CSU Los Angeles’ Dr. Colleen Friend chairs the committee which is comprised of social work leaders from universities and social work organizations throughout the state.  The California Social Work Hall of Distinction operates as a committee of the California Social Welfare Archives, which, with support from the USC School of Social Work, maintains oral histories of social work leaders and collections of some of the most historically significant documents in the development of social welfare in the state. Find out more information and view videos of recent induction events at socialworkhallofdistinction.org and www.usc.edu/cswa and www.youtube.com/user/USCSocialWork

Photo caption:  Some of the members of the Hall of Distinction Committee who gathered at recent induction celebration include Janlee Wong, Joseph Nunn, Suzanne Dworak-Peck, Colleen Friend, Jim Kelly, Esther Gillies, Monika White and Frances Caple.