School Social Work Experts

School Social Worker Toolkit


Heather Alden

Heather Alden, MSW, LICSW, is a school social worker for St. Paul Public Schools in Minnesota. Alden, who earned her master’s degree at the University of Houston, is the mother of two teenagers. She's always learning and trying to “live out loud” each day.


Michelle Alvarez

Michelle Alvarez, MSW, EdD, is the President of the Board of the School Social Work Association of America and is a longtime supporter of NASW, having served on the School Social Work Section Committee and as editor of Children & Schools in the past. She was a school social worker in Pinellas and Marion Counties in Florida, and project director for the Safe Schools Healthy Students grant in Evansville, IN that employed school social workers. She has taught in two MSW programs at the University of Southern Indiana and Minnesota State University. She has authored books in the area of schools social work and is a passionate advocate for the field.


Cynthia Henderson

Cynthia L. Henderson, PhD, LICSW, LCSW-C, is NASW’s senior practice associate for child welfare and school social work. She is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 25 years of experience in the areas of child welfare, school social work, health care, and behavioral health. She was selected as social worker of the year in 1994 and 2007 by the NASW District of Columbia Metro Chapter. She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 from the NASW District of Columbia Metro Chapter. Cynthia received her MSW from Howard University and and her Ph.D. in special education and urban studies from the International Graduate Center in Montpelier, Vermont.


Maureen Tillman

Maureen Tillman earned a masters in social work at the University of Pennsylvania and has worked as a psychotherapist with adolescents, families and adults for more than 30 years. Her expertise with adolescents transitioning to college, and her website, College with Confidence, grew as an extension of many years in clinical practice, client advocacy, and community education.


Brenda Wade

Brenda Wade, MSW, CSSW, LCSW-C, is a Maryland-based clinical social worker with more than 20 years’ experience working in schools. She is a BSWE-approved clinical supervisor and consults with parents of school-age children on education issues and with human services organizations on strategic initiatives and development. She’s also a crime fiction novelist, writing under the pen name Hunter William.


Darryl Webster

Darryl Webster, MSW, began his career as a child protective services worker in Washington, D.C. and has been a school social worker in the area for 25 years. He specializes in working with children with severe and profound disabilities. Webster was named 2007 National Father of the Year by the National Father’s Day Commission; 2018 Social Worker of the Year from the NASW Maryland Chapter; a National Hero by USA Today, and a 1988 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine. He is the author of "I Think I’m Going Crazy: Proven Strategies for Managing Stress, Overcoming Anxiety and Depression."

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