Retired Social Work Academic Continues to Serve Chapter
Boardroom
By Paul R. Pace
Hugh G. Clark, PhD, has been an NASW member for more than 40 years. While he served as executive director of the NASW Oklahoma Chapter for a time, today the retired professor from Florida Gulf Coast University is president of the NASW Florida Chapter.
Despite his many career moves, Clark says he has remained active with NASW in whatever state he has worked in. “Most of the work that I’ve done has been with the legislative education and Advocacy Day,” he says of aiding chapters.
In Florida, social work educators are having a challenging time, considering restrictions placed on schools. The passage of Florida Senate Bill 266 in 2023 strictly limits or eliminates state and federal funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, which created immediate tension for MSW and BSW programs. The law also bans the inclusion of DEI and political identity considerations in hiring
“We’ve had to really work together (on) some workarounds to keep LEAD (Legislative Education Advocacy Day),” Clark says of the Florida Chapter. LEAD is an annual event that educates social work students and professionals about legislative issues in the state.
As the new president of the Florida Chapter, Clark said he and others are having regular meetings with the state licensing board to help students and people coming into the profession move through the process of licensure more smoothly.
Looking back, Clark says he was inspired to study social work by meeting social workers while he was an undergraduate. He has a master’s degree in theology as well as a master’s and PhD in social work, where he decided to focus on academia. That career lasted more than 30 years.
“I have enjoyed teaching and helping prepare the next generation of social workers, and that fits right into the role of NASW as well,” he said, adding that volunteering for your professional association is necessary. “The strength of the organization is its membership and those who volunteer and give their time.”