WASHINGTON, D.C.—Jordan Steiger, LSW, a fierce advocate for health equity and social justice, will receive the 2025 Emerging Social Work Leader Award by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).
A member of NASW-IL, Steiger began her career as a program specialist at the American Hospital Association (AHA) in Chicago. Currently, she advances behavioral health care as the Senior Program Manager for Clinical Affairs and Workforce. At the AHA, she promotes the integration of physical and behavioral health services, reduces the stigma of deaths of despair, and advocates for the mental well-being of the health care workforce. Her work also addresses the complex challenges that patients and families seeking high-quality behavioral health services can face in the nation’s health care delivery system.
The Emerging Social Work Leader Award honors a social worker who has demonstrated outstanding contributions as a leader who is at the beginning phase of their social work career. Steiger has exemplified competencies of a professional with far more years of experience in the field. Though she possesses the strategic skills to problem solve, she has the maturity to seek guidance and input to find the best solutions. She is also a role model for other social workers.
Steiger earned an M.A. in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She has an M.P.H. from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. Her B.A. in Psychology and American Culture is from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In South Africa, she spent a summer at Stellenbosch University studying community development and political science.
Steiger served as project lead for a $900,000 contract from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control. During the two-year project, she designed the “Suicide Prevention: Evidence-Informed Interventions for the Health Care Workforce” and implemented a suicide-prevention learning collaborative for AHA member hospitals and health systems. In addition, Steiger was responsible for developing tools to support respectful communication and trauma-informed support for hospital staff who have experienced violence in the workplace. Another special project drew inspiration from former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, who issued an advisory on how social isolation was having a profound impact on the physical and mental health of Americans. Steiger began exploring the issue of loneliness through episodes of AHA’s Advancing Health Podcast. Throughout her career, she has ensured that patients, caregivers, healthcare workers, and the community receive the support they need to thrive and achieve their fullest potential for mental wellness.
She is just at the beginning of her career, and NASW is certain an even brighter future awaits. We applaud her for receiving the 2025 Emerging Social Work Leader Award.