Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, CEO, National Association of Social Workers

Raffaele Vitelli, CAE, Vice President, Professional Education and Product Development, National Association of Social Workers

Rachel Forbes, MSW, Associate Professor, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work

Kelly Smith, DSW, Professor/Director, Institute for Social Work and Ecological Justice

Social Work Perspectives on Environmental Racism (Macro Social Work CE)

Environmental racism continuously oppresses minoritized populations throughout the country and the world. Social workers can play a key role in the fight for environmental justice.  They can advocate for policies and practices that can create sustainable communities and limit damage to the environment. The social work profession and practitioners, alike, have powerful holistic skill sets, knowledge bases, and resources to advance goals set by communities suffering from these injustices.

Natalie Moore-Bembry, Ed.D, MSW, LCSW, Assistant Professor and BASW Program Director, Rutgers School of Social Work

Christine Morales, MSW, Assistant Dean, Rutgers School of Social Work

Mariann Bischoff, MSW, MS, LCSW, Assistant Professor, Rutgers School of Social Work

Unfortunately, this session has been cancelled.  Please choose one of the other sessions for this timeslot.

(Macro Social Work CE)

Environmental changes threaten human health and well-being in communities worldwide. population growth continues to be significant, and extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity. Environmental threats are a social justice issue: social, economic, and environmental inequities are deeply intertwined. People in poverty, children, older adults, members of racial or ethnic minority groups, and people with a history of mental health problems are especially vulnerable to the harmful impacts of environmental change.

Amy Krings, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor, Ohio State University College of Social Work

John Mathias, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor, Florida State University College of Social Work

Unfortunately, this session has been cancelled.  Please choose one of the other sessions for this timeslot.

(Social Work CE)

Lead, Mercury, Pesticides, Formaldehyde, Asbestos, and Benzene are all toxins that have been found in high-poverty schools across the country. How can social workers keep our children safe when they themselves are at risk? What do we do when these same substances are found in our homes? How do we know our rights when mold is found in the workplace? These threats to our everyday environment require emphatic responses from social workers on all levels. 

Leah Prussia, DSW, MSW, LICSW, Founder, Natural Connections, LLC

(Macro Social Work CE)

From Flint Michigan to Newark New Jersey, to Central Africa, food and water insecurity continues to be a major threat to human life. Unsafe drinking water and lack of access to sanitation are threats to indigenous persons’ health. Little miss flint, now 16, has spent most of her childhood fighting for safe water. Many communities who face unsafe drinking water also do not have access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality. Where did food deserts come from and how can the social work community address them? How do these larger problems affect our everyday clients? 

Andrew Lee, Interim General Manager and CEO, Seattle Public Utilities

Maryam Mason, Utility Discount Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

Tess Honan, Environmental Justice Advisor, Seattle Public Utilities

Liz Fikejs, Senior Waste Prevention Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

Tracy Tackett, GSI Expansion Infrastructure Initiative Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

(Social Work CE)

Health care settings are a major contributor to harmful waste and emissions that can affect individuals and the environment at large. In this session we will identify what waste in the healthcare sector looks like, what a green healthcare sector would look like, and where the harmful emissions are coming from. What is the duty of Health Care Social Workers, if there is any responsibility at all? 

Lisa Patel, MD , MESc, FAAP, Executive Director, Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health

Frederic G. Reamer, PhD, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, Rhode Island College

Yvonne Elder Chase, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, President, National Association of Social Workers, Associate Professor, University of Alaska

Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, CEO

Raffaele Vitelli, CAE, Vice President, Professional Education and Product Development

Justin D. Hodge, MSW, Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work

(Social Work CE)

Environmental migrants, climate refugees, and ecological refugees have left their homes due to changes in the environmental area them. They are forced to leave their home because of the effects of climate change and global warming. What is the relationship between social workers and refugee service users? How can social workers be adequality prepared to work with this population and how can we advocate for them on a larger scale? 

Altaf Husain, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor

(Macro Social Work CE)

Community organizing is a specialized field of social work that is devoted to restoring democracy at the grassroots level. A community organizer seeks to empower their community members through mobilizing efforts but is there a right way to organize for Environmental Justice? How can social workers ensure that their efforts are met with action? Picketing, fundraising, coalition building, canvassing, boycotting, sit-ins, petitioning, and electoral politics are ways in which a social worker can work toward meaningful change. Understanding what community organizing is can be aided by understanding what community organizing is not. 

Ben Fulgencio-Turner, MPP,

(Social Work CE)

Every social worker’s main goal is to help. We may want to help our fellow human beings, we may want to help animals, and we may want to help mother earth. Before we can help with anything, we must fully be educated on the issues. Why should we teach environmental justice and how do we get started? In this session we will identify resources on environmental educational programming and identify ways we can incorporate them in social work literature. 

Ande Nesmith, PhD, MSW, Professor

(Social Work CE)

At times, it feels impossible to find the perfect role in today’s job market. Many times, we do not know where to start. We feel like our past work experience will exclude us from getting into a new field of practice. In this session, we will deliver tools and approaches on how to build your resume around the role you want. What job titles and descriptions should we be looking into to become a climate justice social worker? 

Sojourner White, MSW (she/her/ella), Remote Social Worker

Bailey Fullwiler, MSSA, LSW, Eco Social Worker

Unfortunately, this session has been cancelled.  Please choose one of the other sessions for this timeslot.

(Social Work CE)

In this session we will take a lot on how Climate Change affects social workers and the profession. A social workers focus is supporting the most vulnerable, but what happens when we are all vulnerable to the changing environment? Social workers can address the impacts of climate change on both individuals and communities. 

Christina Erickson, PhD, MSW, Professor & Chair

(Social Work CE)

Air and water quality are fundamental determinants of our well-being. There are many factors that lead to disease and health disparities when where we live, learn, and work are plagued with social inequities. Redlining has caused Black and Brown communities to have less access to adequate education. This injustice only went further when it caused increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and early mortality due to heart disease. Evidence shows that the suppression of education has suppressed economic opportunity and human capital. What role do social workers play in addressing a national wide crisis? 

Lacey Sloan, PhD, MSSW, Associate Professor

Susan Cashwell, PhD, LMSW BSW, Program Director

Christa C. Gilliam, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor

Hilary Weaver, DSW, Professor Emeritus of Social Work

Yvonne Elder Chase, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, President, National Association of Social Workers