Diverse Group of Professionals Leads NASW Foundation and Its Many Activities

Foundation

By Paul R. Pace

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality — Warren Bennis

The NASW Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization created to support NASW’s educational and charitable initiatives through a wide range of programs and projects. Guiding the Foundation is its board of directors, comprising current NASW President Yvonne Chase, PhD, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, current NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, and six social workers. NASW’s CEO and president are nonvoting members of the board. Meet the current voting board members:

Monique B. Jones, LCSW, is a visionary leader with an extensive background in mental health, violence prevention, philanthropy, and gender and racial equity. With more than 20 years of experience in her career, her civic interests span the intersections where the lives of those most vulnerable fall victim to structural oppression and inequity. Jones most recently served as the president and CEO at the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF), making her the second CEO and first African American since its founding in 1986. During her tenure, she was successful in diversifying the board, staff and community investments to reflect the voices of the community.

Phillip Hong, PhD, MSW, is dean of the University of Georgia School of Social Work. As associate dean for research, a position he has held since 2018, Hong established a grant and scholarship development office that helped increase extramural funding by more than 200%. He also supported faculty in establishing three externally funded research centers, formalizing four externally funded training institutes, and sustaining three externally funded community-engaged programs.

Amy DiMauro, LCSW, formerly chief operations officer at the Root Center for Advanced Recovery in Manchester, Conn., now is senior vice president for adult services at Community Health Resources. At the Root Center, she was responsible for strategic planning, innovations and operations of all behavioral health services for the organization. She expanded service lines across the organization including cutting-edge, evidence-based models. Her service on the NASW board has played a role in regional fundraising activities and supported the creation of the NASW Connecticut Chapter’s Tara Ferrante Social Work Scholarship Fund through the Foundation.

Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW, has been a trailblazer in the social work profession as the founder and host of the Social Work Podcast (socialworkpodcast.com), the first podcast by and for social workers. Singer founded the podcast in 2007 while he was still a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh. Singer is a nationally recognized expert and leader in the field of suicide prevention and intervention. He was elected president of the American Association of Suicidology in 2019 and is co-author of the book “Suicide in Schools,” published in 2015. He has written and presented extensively on suicide and has conducted numerous media interviews as a sought-after expert on suicide-related topics. In 2023, Singer was named an NASW Social Work Pioneer® for his contributions to the profession.

Angela W. Harris, LCSW, BACS, C-SSWS, has experience in grant research/procurement through her leadership roles and has been responsible for fundraising and donor gifts locally in Louisiana. She has served as chair of multiple conferences and fundraising events in Louisiana.

Deanna F. Morrow, PhD, LICSW, ACSW, is director and Eberly Family Professor for Outstanding Public Service in the School of Social Work at West Virginia University. In addition to serving on the NASW Foundation board, she is on the board of NASW-West Virginia. She is past chair of the CSWE Board of Accreditation and past chair of the North Carolina Social Work Licensure Board. Her research interests include older adults, social work education, social work licensure and regulation, leadership, and sexual minority populations. She has authored more than 50 scholarly publications and has made more than 140 scholarly presentations in regional, national and international venues. Morrow also has led or co-led a variety of externally funded grants in content areas such as gerontology education for adult protective services workers; behavioral health workforce development; mental health first aid training for college students; addiction and recovery workforce development; health and long-term care; and foster and adoptive family recruitment.

How the Foundation Operates

Foundation assets total $4 million, including the NASW Foundation Endowment, which is funded by voluntary contributions from donors, including friends, NASW members, corporations, and others; as well as awards and grants from government agencies, foundations, and other entities interested in the work. NASW membership dues do not fund the Foundation.

The Three Ps

The Foundation serves three primary audiences, known as the Three Ps:

• The Profession—Honoring and investing in social workers past, current and future
• The Practitioner—Enhancing social workers’ knowledge and skills
• The Public—Providing information and resources to help individuals, families and communities.

Foundation Goals

The Foundation administers a wide variety of educational and research programs in an effort to fulfill its core mission of enhancing the well-being of individuals, families and communities through the advancement of social work policy and practice. Founded in 2001, the Foundation’s goals and objectives are to:

• Identify, develop, and respond to social work policy and practice issues.
• Assist with rapid response to social crises.
• Support practice-based research, so that practice and research are directly linked.
• Raise the visibility of social work and enhance public esteem for the profession.
• Support development of cutting-edge continuing education and training that addresses critical issues.
• Promote the appropriate application of new technology to the practice of social work.

Foundation Donations

The NASW Foundation extends its thanks to all NASW members and friends who lend their financial support, with special thanks to the following for their contributions of $100 or more, through March 19, 2025. All donors are listed at NASW Foundation.

We appreciate all donations, including those donated through a donor advised fund or a retirement fund.