NASW’s National Election Takes Place May 1-29

NASW members have the opportunity in May to vote for the candidates who will fill the open positions on the NASW national board of directors. There are six positions to be filled this year, and they are: member-at-large; MSW student member; and directors for regions 1, 2, 10 and 13.

Voting will be done primarily online. To receive a ballot and be able to vote, please ensure your member record has an active email address. Voting instructions will be provided closer to the date of the election period. For more information or to request a hard-copy ballot, contact governance@socialworkers.org.

Below is a look at the candidates for this year’s election and the position for which they are running. Learn more about the 2026 candidates, and general information about NASW elections, in the governance section of NASW’s website.

NASW 2026 National Election Slate

NASW Board of Directors

Member-at-Large

Cynthia V. Catchings (DC)

Catchings is a professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and maintains a private clinical practice. She has a PhD in interdisciplinary studies, and an MSW. She is licensed as an LCSW supervisor in Texas, Virginia and Maryland. Catchings has served as president of NASW-D.C.; chair of the NASW-Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley board; and board member of NASW-Texas. Throughout her career, she has focused on expanding access to trauma-informed care, mentoring emerging professionals, and strengthening culturally responsive services. Catchings was named Social Worker of the Year and has received recognition for her community leadership and domestic violence advocacy. Her work across academic, clinical and community settings reflects a sustained commitment to advancing the profession and supporting the communities social workers serve.

Francie Julien-Chinn (HI)

Julien-Chinn is an associate professor at the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She serves as the MSW program chair and is the department chair-elect. She obtained her BSW from Northern Arizona University and her MSW and PhD from Arizona State University. Julien-Chinn has been on the board of the NASW Hawai‘i Chapter since 2018, where she has held multiple positions, including chapter president. She also a member of the Council on Social Work Education and the Society for Social Work and Research. She is a clinical scholar, which is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program.

MSW Student Member

Kevin Mora (CA)

Mora is a therapist in a men’s incarceration re-entry program, where he provides individual psychotherapy and facilitates trauma-informed, Spanish-language group therapy for mixed-status clients navigating immigration-related stress and systemic barriers. Previously, he worked as a Child Protective Services caseworker, advocating for children and families impacted by systemic inequities and complex social challenges. Mora was a Spanish-speaking Wish Granter/Caseworker for Make-A-Wish Foundation, Greater Los Angeles, supporting families through culturally responsive advocacy and compassionate care. He earned a BA in sociology with a minor in Chicana/o studies from California State University, Northridge, and currently is pursuing a Master of Social Welfare at UCLA. Mora is committed to amplifying student voices and advancing equity-centered, culturally sustaining practice. His leadership focuses on ethical practice, representation, and strengthening pathways for emerging social workers.

Jessica Benson (OH)

Benson is an MSW student in the Columbus metro area of Ohio. She attends the University of North Dakota online and is in her initial field placement at NASW-Ohio until May 2026. She completed a MA in forensic psychology through UND with a capstone focus on police interview/interrogation reform, and a BS in criminal justice from West Liberty University in her hometown of Wheeling, W.V. She also is a mom of three, ages 15, 11 and 7. She is a licensed substitute teacher and has experience as an advocate for Head Start children in West Virginia and Ohio, and as a probation officer in North Carolina. Benson’s areas of interest in social work include policy reform and the benefits of psychedelics on spiritual and mental well-being at the individual and community levels.

Director, Region I

Molly Driessen (RI)

Driessen, PhD, MSW, LICSW, is an assistant professor of social work at Providence College in Rhode Island, where she teaches undergraduate courses across micro, mezzo and macro practice. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in individual, family, group and community practice, social welfare and policy, advocacy, research, diversity, and interpersonal violence and trauma. Driessen’s research focuses on interpersonal and gender-based violence, including intimate-partner violence, sexual violence, and campus sexual assault, examining these issues across systems and social structures. Her scholarship centers social justice, trauma-informed practice and policy, and strengthening community and institutional responses to violence. Alongside her academic work, she maintains a part-time clinical practice and is active in policy and advocacy through the NASW–Rhode Island Policy and Advocacy Committee. Driessen has professional experience across nonprofit, government and educational settings, and has practiced social work in Minnesota, Washington, D.C., Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Shanna T. Fishel (MA)

Fishel is owner/clinician at You Got Choices, an insurance-based private practice in Western Massachusetts, mostly serving LGBTQ+ individuals and MassHealth recipients. Fishel has a BS/Med in special education from Lesley University, an MSW from Smith College, and a postgraduate fellowship from the Massachusetts Institute of Psychoanalysis. She previously served as a member on NASW-Massachusetts’ Legislative Advocacy Committee; the Center for Human Development’s Human Rights Committee; and REAL (Racial Equity and Learning) Northampton. Fishel also is a trustee on a local nonprofit board. She has experience as a previous mayoral candidate, a public speaker, researcher, and founder of grassroots initiatives. Currently, she co-leads on MassHealth Initiative for Access and Transparency (MIAT), a cross-disciplinary mental health team convening practitioners, legislators, MassHealth leaders, and benefit administrators addressing systemic barriers affecting clinicians and the clients they serve. Fishel’s work reflects an ongoing commitment to equity, justice and community-minded engagement.

Director, Region II

Julie Schirmer (ME)

Schirmer is a behavioral health consultant in the Preventive Medicine Enhancement Program for Maine and holds degrees from Miami University of Ohio (BA) and Catholic University (MSW). She has more than 30 years of board and leadership experience in academic medicine, with leadership spanning NASW, the Family Medicine Education Consortium, and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, which honored her with a President’s Award for significant contributions to Family Medicine and the Susan McDaniel Lifetime Achievement Award for advancing behavioral sciences. Most recently within NASW, Schirmer served on the Council of Chapter Presidents Steering Committee, chaired the Maine Chapter board, and co-chaired the Policy and PACE committees (2019–2025). During this time, the Maine board went from three to 14 members, strengthened its committees and governance, created leadership pipelines, and helped NASW-Maine become one of the association’s fastest-growing chapters in the country.

Sandra Crespo (MD)

Crespo, LICSW, is a clinic director at Transformations Care Network and founder of Unalome Consulting Group, advancing inclusive and neuroaffirming leadership. She earned her MSW from Boston University, BA in sociology from Suffolk University, and is pursuing her Doctor of Social Work at Simmons University, where her research centers on invisible disabilities in professional spaces. Crespo is a member of NASW-Maryland and serves on the NASW National Committee on Disabilities. She is chair of the board of Siembra Today, where she has led early strategic development efforts that have yielded $35,000 in new funding within her first four months as chair. She also serves on the board of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) Greater Baltimore, leading a multiphase strategy to strengthen chapter sustainability, modernize outreach, and expand membership engagement. Her work extends internationally through collaborations with Neurodiversity in Business (UK) and HumanKind (Denmark).

Director, Region X

Elizabeth Dole-Izzo (WY)

Dole-Izzo, LCSW, is recently retired with 30 years of diverse practice experience. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, she earned her undergraduate degree and MSW from Colorado State University. Her career includes administrative and clinical practice in medical, inpatient psychiatric, and emergency department settings in community hospitals and the VA. As behavioral health services administrator, Dole-Izzo provided organizational leadership and staff support during the COVID-19 pandemic. She spent a decade at the University of Wyoming as an associate lecturer and director of field education, mentoring MSW and BSW students and strengthening academic–community partnerships. She was instrumental in developing new field-education policies, program assessments and student evaluations that align with new CSWE accreditation standards. Dole-Izzo has held multiple leadership roles within NASW, including Wyoming Chapter president and executive director, and she received the chapter’s Greatest Contribution to Social Work Practice award. She continues to lecture and present at regional conferences.

K.C. McLaughlin (MT)

Based in Montana, McLaughlin, LCSW, is a distinguished licensed clinical social worker with More than two decades of expertise at the nexus of mental health, family law, and community advocacy. Currently practicing at a community health clinic, she specializes in high-conflict client dynamics, using CBT and strengths-based persons in environment as a framework to address complex emotional needs. McLaughlin holds an MSW from Walla Walla University. Her career is defined by her extensive service to the Montana District Courts and therapeutic contracts with County Youth Court and the sheriff’s office. Beyond her clinical practice, McLaughlin has demonstrated a commitment to vulnerable populations as a licensed therapeutic foster parent for teenagers, among several other advocacy projects. Her leadership extends to significant regulatory oversight, currently serving as an appointee to a Montana state board and representing the state as a delegate to the Association of Social Work Boards. With a history of four county-level board appointments, she remains a pivotal voice in shaping social work standards and advocating for the best interests of families.

Director, Region XIII

Alicia L. Garoupa-Bollinger (CA)

Garoupa-Bollinger, LCSW, is the chief of Wellbeing and Support Services for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. She earned a Master of Social Welfare from the University of California, LA, and a BA in psychology from California State University, Fresno. Her leadership within NASW includes serving as the representative for the Committee on Nominations & Leadership Identification for California Regions G, H and I. She is a tri-chair for the California Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee and a commissioner for the Los Angeles County Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Her professional honors include the Rosalio Muñoz Pupil Services and Attendance Award and graduating from the honors program in psychology at CSU Fresno.

Lorena Duran (CA)

Duran serves as director of student wellness at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, where she leads a comprehensive, school-wide wellness initiative. Previously, she was director of student services for the East Whittier City School District, where she was honored as Administrator of the Year. Duran earned a doctorate in educational leadership and an administrative services credential from Azusa Pacific University, as well as her MSW and BA from USC. She is a bilingual, licensed clinical social worker who has supervised social work interns from universities across Los Angeles and has taught graduate coursework at CSU, Los Angeles. Duran has presented nationally and internationally on student wellness, school social work, and equity-focused systems change. Her leadership spans school-based mental health, federal and state grant administration, and cross-sector collaboration. Duran serves on advisory boards and is an active NASW member committed to advancing equity, student wellness, and professional development.