Hope Conference Speakers

Terry Cross, MSW, LCSW, ACSW

Terry Cross, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, is an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation of Indians and is the Developer, Founder, and Executive Director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association. He is the author of Heritage and Helping, an 11-manual curriculum for tribal child welfare staff. He is also the author of the book Positive Indian Parenting Dying and Journeys: A Newsletter to Help in Bereavement, as well as Cross-Cultural Skills in Indian Child Welfare. He co-authored Toward a Culturally Competent System of Care and Reclaiming Customary Adoption. In 2008, he became a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Advisory Council.

Mr. Cross has 38 years of experience in child welfare, including 10 years working directly with children and families. He served on the faculty of Portland State University School of Social Work as an adjunct professor for 15 years.

In 2009, Mr. Cross received the Civic Engagement Award for Excellence in Community-Based Research from Portland State University, and in 2011, he received the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps’ “Embracing the Legacy” award. He received his MSW from Portland State University in Oregon.  Mr. Cross is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers.

>> Back to Conference Speakers