Executive Committee

President

Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, DPS, MSW, LCSW

Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, MSW, LCSW (Pennsylvania Chapter), is professor emerita of social work at West Chester University (WCU) in Pennsylvania. Joyner received a BSW from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and her MSW from Howard University’s School of Social Work in Washington, DC.

Her professional career began at Chester County Children and Youth services as a protective service worker; she was promoted to department head, then legal liaison of the child abuse unit. Joyner later joined the faculty at WCU as an associate professor, where she was elected by the faculty as department chair of the undergraduate social work department. She retired from the university as a full professor, and presently works as a consultant.

Joyner is a member of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Council on Social Work Education, and NASW, where she recently ended her term as national vice president. In West Chester she serves on the board of directors of Chester County Food Bank and is a bank director at DNBFirst.

Vice President

Ebony Speakes-Hall, MSW, LISW

Ebony Speakes-Hall, MSW, LISW (Ohio Chapter), is assistant professor and field coordinator for the Bachelor of Social Work Program at Central State University. She received her master of social work from Case Western Reserve University. She was awarded her master’s in divinity from Virginia Union University, and her bachelor of science in biblical studies from Cincinnati Christian University. 

Speakes-Hall is pursuing her doctorate in clinical social work at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an active member of the NASW Ohio Chapter, where she chairs the PACE committee in Region 7. She has also served as director and was awarded the Outstanding Service Award in 2018. She is on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union, Ohio affiliate, where she serves as the Equity Officer. She was the recipient of the NASW MSW Student of the Year award for the State of Ohio.

Secretary

Jose Ramos, Jr., MSW

Jose A. Ramos, Jr., MSW (California Chapter), earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Long Beach. He serves as the director of Prevention Department at Children’s Bureau Southern California. Ramos has worked for Children’s Bureau for the past 24 years and has over 30 years of experience working in the child welfare field. Ramos is also an adjunct professor at California State University, Northridge, in the MSW department and was an adjunct professor at Springfield College. 

He has taken on multiple leadership roles throughout his career, including as Value School Charter Board Member, California Family Resource Association Policy Council Member, NASW Policy Committee, California Citizen Review Member of Child Abuse Prevention, and most recently as a Board Member of the California chapter of NASW. Ramos was born in Ecuador and came to the United States at age 10.

Treasurer

Enrico "Rick" DeGironimo, LCSW, ACSW

Rick DeGironimo, LCSW, ACSW (DE Chapter), is a professional social work manager with many years of senior financial and leadership experience serving as the executive/CEO of several multimillion dollar nonprofit organizations. His education includes dual undergraduate degrees in economics and sociology; and an MSW in community organization and planning from Rutgers University.

His accomplishments include starting new innovative organizations and programs and correcting the financial and quality course for several others. He consults with organizations on management and strategic planning. DeGironimo has served on numerous association and nonprofit boards, including NASW and NASW-New Jersey, and he currently serves on the NASW Audit Committee and the board of East Mountain Hospital, New Jersey.

Director, Region III

Debra Faria, LCSW, ACSW

Debra Faria, LCSW, ACSW, earned her MSW degree and advanced certificates in Gerontology and Women's Studies at Syracuse University and her BS in Social Work from RIT. She is Licensed Clinical Social Worker with clinical and administrative practice in the areas of gerontology and medical social work. She served on the faculty of RIT as assistant Professor social work and was the recipient of RIT's Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Provost Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2001, Debra joined the SUNY Brockport MSW faculty. She is clinical Associate Professor of Social Work, past department chair, and coordinates the Graduate Certificate in Gerontological Social Work and MSW field education program.

Debra has administered federal, state and foundation training grants focusing on child welfare, gerontological social work, health and mental health services and was the recipient the New York Academy of Medicine’s Hartford Partnership in Aging Education’s Outstanding Principal Investigator Leadership Award.Debra is also an active scholar with 86 peer-reviewed papers and presentations, and 63 invited presentations at regional, state, national and international conferences and professional meetings. Her scholarship areas include gerontological social work education, interprofessional education and team work, field education, international social work education, and cultural humility. Debra has served on a number of professional and advisory boards including: the National Advisory Board of the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Gero-Ed Center, past president of the NASW-NYS Chapter, past member of the CSWE Field Education Council. She also served six years as a Commissioner for the Council on Social Work Education's Commission on Accreditation (2014-2019). Locally, she serves on the boards of Linkages of Rochester, and the State Society on Aging of NY and is a member of the Elder Fatality Review Team of Lifespan of Rochester, Catholic Family Center’s Child and Family Advisory Committee and Spiritus Christi Anti-Racism Coalition.

Director, Region VIII

Peggy Weber, PhD, ACSW, LCSW, LCAC

Peggy Weber, PhD, ACSW, LCSW, LCAC (Indiana Chapter), is associate dean for the College of Health and Human Services at Indiana State University. She has a doctoral degree in social work from the University of Utah, an MSW from Indiana University School of Social Work, an MS in gerontology from Indiana State University, and a BS in social work from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. Weber has an LCSW and LCAC in Indiana and her ACSW through NASW.

Positions she has held in NASW's Indiana Chapter include president of the board of directors, treasurer, and chairperson of the Conference Committee. She has also been an Indiana Delegate for NASW. Past honors include Regional Social Worker of the Year for the Indiana Chapter, NASW; and from Indiana State University the Experiential Learning and Community Engagement Award and the Faculty Outstanding Service Award from the College of Health and Human Services.

Director, Region XI

D. Lynn Jackson, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, FNAP

D. Lynn Jackson, PhD, LCSW, has been at Texas Christian University since 2013. She serves as director of field education and assistant dean of strategic initiatives for Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She also supervises all interprofessional education and strategic planning for the college. Jackson attended the University of South Florida (BSW) and Florida State University, graduating with her MSW and PhD in social work.

Licensed as an LCSW, Jackson has worked in numerous practice settings for 30 years. Her NASW experience includes work as a political field organizer, president of the Texas chapter of NASW, chair and member of the national nominating committee (NCNLI), Ft. Worth Branch chair, State Conference Committee chair, chair of the State NLIC, and member of the Women’s Issues Committee. Jackson is also a member of the Council on Social Work Education and was honored as a 2010 Women’s Health Hero for her work as an abortion activist.

Director, Region XII

Robin G. Arndt, MSW, LSW

Robin G. Arndt, MSW, LSW, is a coordinator of field and continuing education at the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, University of Hawaiʻi, Manoa. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Arndt is an active member of the NASW Hawaiʻi chapter, where he currently serves as chapter president. He has also held other leadership roles within the chapter, including member-at-large and chair of several committees, including the Continuing Education and Conference Committee. Arndt also serves as a commissioner on the Commission for Membership and Professional Development with the Council on Social Work Education.