NASW Board Member-at-Large
Lee E. King, DCC, MSW, LCSW
Lee King is chief executive officer of Nava Behavioral Health. He received a BA in individualized studies with a minor in business and counseling from New Mexico State University. He obtained a master’s in social work with honors from Western New Mexico University and earned a graduate minor in women’s studies. King completed doctoral work at Walden University in public administration and transferred to receive a doctorate in Christian counseling.
He is a member of NASW’s Social Work and the Courts Specialty Practice Section committee. He also serves as a member of the Substance Use Disorders committee of the American Correctional Association. In 2013, the National Frontier & Rural Addiction Center recognized King as a Telehealth Pioneer. He has served as a panel member who reviewed “Promising Practices” with the State Association of Addiction Services and Advocates for Human Potential.
Mavis Major, PhD, MSW, LCSW
Mavis Major is a practitioner/academician who has been a social worker for more than 30 years. She is a licensed clinical social worker who holds a bachelor of art degree in social work/psychology from Oakwood College (Now Oakwood University). She also has a master’s degree in social work, specializing in children, youth and families from San Diego State University, and a PhD in human services, specializing in policy and planning analysis from Walden University.
She is a practicing psychotherapist for the Department of Psychiatry/ Behavioral Health Department for Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev. Major serves as a contributing faculty for Walden University and the University of Massachusetts Global. She is the North Region District chair for NASW-Nevada board of directors and a member of the Council on Social Work Education board of directors and executive committee. The governor of Nevada appointed Majorto the Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Board, and she also chairs the Promotions subcommittee.
NASW Board Region I Director
Bisrat Abebe, MA, LCSW, LICSW
An Ethiopian immigrant, Abebe completed dual master’s degrees in social work and theology at Boston College in 2005. He is the service director for Community Health Resources, managing the adult mobile crisis response programs and medication for addiction treatment programs in six Connecticut Department of Correction facilities.
Abebe has more than 17 years of clinical, supervisory, and administrative experience as a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He is a former Dean of Student Support Services at MIT and has been teaching as an adjunct in several MSW programs since 2012. Throughout his career, he has spearheaded efforts to improve access to care for young adults and incarcerated individuals, as well as recruiting and retaining diverse staff. Abebe served on the Boston College School of Social Work Alumni board from 2015 to 2018. He was selected to join the town of Longmeadow Coalition for Racial Justice Task Force in 2021. Abebe is an active member of NASW. He was appointed to the NASW board to complete an unfinished term as the Region I director and serves on the national Finance and International committees and Foundation Governance Committee.
Deborah Lisansky Beck, MSW, LICSW
Deborah Lisansky Beck received a BA in psychology from Smith College and an MSW from Simmons University. She retired in 2017 as chair of the BSW program at Wheelock College. She previously taught at Simmons and worked for several years in perinatal mental health, child guidance, and parent education.
Her current clinical work and writing focuses on stress reduction and mindfulness-based self-care. As an active member of the NASW Massachusetts Chapter, Beck serves as delegate to the NASW Delegate Assembly and as a member of the Legislative Advocacy (LAC), Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE), and Ethics committees. Her accomplishments include the Wheelock College Cynthia Longfellow Award for Teaching and the NASW-Massachusetts award for Greatest Contribution to Social Work Education.
NASW Board Region II Director
Yvette Tyndale, LCSW, ACSW, ICAADC
Yvette Tyndale is a licensed clinical social worker who works at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide community-based intensive case management and psychotherapy services to veterans who experience challenges related to psychiatric or co-occurring disorders. Tyndale completed an MSW degree at USC Columbia and a postgraduate clinical fellowship at Yale Child Study Center.
As a member of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), she was selected to serve as a Proposal Reviewer for the 2023 CSWE Annual Program Meeting. Tyndale demonstrates commitment to the social work profession by serving as a guest lecturer for MSW students at Southern Connecticut State University. As a member of the Yale Fellowship advisory board, she prioritizes fellowship accreditation through CSWE and provides education and training to postgraduate social work fellows.
Karen McLean, PhD, MSW, LMSW
Karen McLean is the department chair and associate professor of social work at Western Connecticut State University. She has a “trifecta” — earning her PhD, MSW, and BA in Psychology from the University of Connecticut.
McLean is an active member of the NASW Connecticut Chapter, where she is completing her second term as a member-at-large on the board of directors and serves on the executive committee. She has served on the chapter’s Diversity Committee and as a conference workshop reviewer. McLean is a licensed master social worker with more than 30 years of experience in public welfare administration and social welfare policy. Her research interests include diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and in social work practice, and self-care practices of undergraduate social work students. Her organizational affiliations include The Connecticut Innocence Fund and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
NASW Board Region X Director
Shawntelle L. Fisher, LCSW, CRAADC
Shawntelle L. Fisher is founder and CEO of The SoulFisher Ministries, a nonprofit that empowers youth and formerly incarcerated people to be positive, productive and socially responsible citizens. She holds dual bachelor’s degrees from UMSL, and dual master’s degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Eden Theological Seminary.
After becoming a mother at age 15, a convicted felon at age 17, and going to prison seven times, caring community members guided her to a path of hope and restoration. Fisher serves on the St. Louis County Diversion Committee, Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund board, and NASW board (alternate). She also is the recipient of many honors, including the 2021 Connections to Success Change Maker award, 2021 FOCUS St. Louis’ What’s Right with the Region award, 2020 Ethics of Service award, and St. Louis Business Journal’s 2020 Most Influential Businesswoman award.
Deborah Johnson, PhD, MSW, LMSW, LCSW
Deborah Johnson PhD, MSW, LMSW-Okla., LCSW-Fla., is a trainer for SRT Inc., a nonprofit crisis/disaster behavioral health services organization. She is a volunteer for the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps Stress Response Team, co-leading the Tulsa SRT, and focuses on children in her part-time therapy practice. She holds an MSW degree from the University of Oklahoma and a PhD in Psychology from Iowa State University.
Johnson was on the NASW-Oklahoma board from 2017 to 2022, starting as a graduate representative and finally serving as president. She also served as president of the NASW National Council of Chapter Presidents (COCP) and as a board member of the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers. She was honored for her work with the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, has worked for two Fortune 100 companies, and has consulted with many others. Johnson is a board member for SRT Inc.
NASW Board Region XIII Director
Natasha Paddock, MSW
Natasha Paddock is a professional social worker with nearly 20 years in local government and nonprofit management. In 2021, Paddock was appointed Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development in Alameda County, working closely with HUD, CDSS, and local partners on policy, programming and funding matters related to ending homelessness. Paddock served 14 years in local government, overseeing major programs and initiatives like Health Care Reform and integrated service delivery social services.
She has served in NASW-California leadership since 2011, holding positions on the board of directors, Region C Director, and Unit Chair. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and chairs the board of directors for C.O.P.E. Family Support Center, which serves children and families. Paddock holds a BA degree in Psychology from the University of the Pacific and a Master of Social Work degree from California State University, East Bay.
Rosemary Alamo, PhD, MSW, LCSW
Rosemary Alamo is an associate professor at USC Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work. She has a Doctor of Behavioral Health degree from Arizona State University and a Master of Social Work degree from USC Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work.
She has been an active member with NASW for the past 23 years, and also is a member of the Council on Social Work Education. Alamo is the former director for NASW-California Region I and serves as the faculty co-advisor for the USC NASW Unit and as a member of the Region I steering committee. She has been a social work practitioner, educator and leader for more than 25 years.