2007 Social Work Awards
2007 Social Worker of the Year
Susan Reynolds, MSW, LICSW
Susan is currently co-chair of this year’s annual NASW Conference with Michael Hays. Advocacy and education have always been important to her. She is lead social worker at Swedish Homecare Services and a practicum instructor for UWSSW. Susan’s career in social work began with her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL (1980). She began working in the field of child welfare. Her first board experience was with the Illinois Association of Child Care Workers where she advocated for certification and continuing education for child care workers. She obtained her MSW at the University of Hawaii at Manua SSW (1985) where she had a rich, culturally diverse education. NASW has always been part of her professional life. She joined as a graduate student and was on the board in Hawaii and she also was actively involved in continuing education programs. She also worked with continuing education and student services during her work experience at UHM. Susan moved to Washington and continued her involvement with NASW working on the annual conference and serving on the Board. She is currently running for the NASW Board position for Vice President of Professional Development. Susan keeps balanced with yoga and running. She always has the support and love of her spouse, Jerry Hagen, who is also a social worker. Her parents always encouraged her activism and involvement in her community.
2007 President’s Award
Robin Arnold-Williams
Robin Arnold-Williams was appointed as Secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services on March 15, 2005. As a member of Governor Gregoire’s Cabinet, she is responsible for overseeing DSHS operations which include 18,000 staff and an annual budget in excess of $8 billion. Major programs under her direction include Medicaid, child welfare, juvenile rehabilitation, mental health, alcohol and substance abuse, disabilities, aging services, public assistance, child support, and vocational rehabilitation. Prior to serving in this position, Robin was employed for over 24 years with the Utah State Department of Human Services; from 1997 through 2005 she served as Executive Director. Robin has actively been involved at the national level including serving three years as Chair of the National Council of State Human Services Administrators and providing Congressional testimony on human service policy issues. Robin hold masters and doctoral degrees in Social Work from the University of Utah as well as a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology.
2007 Public Citizen of the Year
Kathryn Gardow
Kathryn Gardow has a BS in civil engineering from Union College and an MBA from the University of Washington. Until 2006, she practiced land use planning and project management as Kathryn Gardow & Assoc., LLC. Clients included: the City of Newcastle, City of Snoqualmie, and other jurisdictions and private clients. From 1995 to 1999, she was on the PCC Natural Markets Board of Trustees. She is also a past president of NE Toastmasters. She is a Mountaineers scramble leader and has climbed more than 100 different peaks in Washington. She has volunteered in the Mountaineers Leave No Trace program. She has organized and chaired four fundraising auctions at her children’s preschool and elementary schools. She is a volunteer in her children’s classrooms. She is one of the founders of Korean Focus NW, an organization for families interested in furthering their children’s understanding of their Korean heritage. She was appointed by Governor Gregoire in 2005 to the Washington State Public Works Board as a general public member. Prior to the 2004 election, she led the Washington Voter Registration Project, a grass-roots, all volunteer organization dedicated to registering and empowering potential voters. Under her leadership, the group registered 200 new voters at over 100 different venues and organized seven phone banks with over 80 different volunteers. Voters were registered in food bank lines, at festivals, at outdoor movie venues, and many other locations. She currently works for the PCC Farmland Trust, a non-profit organization, which saves Washington farmland and moves it into organic production. Kathryn is married to Dave Bradlee and is the mother of two children, Pearl (9) and Marcus (7), both of whom are of Korean heritage. She believes in the value of community and bringing people together in common vision.
2007 Agency of the Year
New Futures
New Futures’ mission is to partner with families to create communities where children thrive. New Futures’ offers integrated and culturally relevant programming to low-income children and their families to help build skills, foster connectedness, and promote strengths. New Futures began in 1991 after a group of South King County teachers realized that the children struggling most in school all lived in the same apartment complex. To meet the needs of these children, New Futures began offering an academic-after school program in their complex. Because academic support was not enough, New Futures added family support and community-building programs. Today, New Futures serves children and their families through community learning centers based within three of South King County’s lowest-income and highest-crime apartment complexes. Through New Futures’ ReachOut program, its social enterprise, New Futures trains other organizations and schools in cultural competence, helping change the systems to better meet the needs of children and families. New Futures know that often when children are struggling in school, their families are struggling too. This is why New Futures takes a holistic, integrated approach, working not only with the children, but working in partnership with the whole family. This helps to ensure that the children’s needs are met in school, at home, and through their community. When families thrive, children do too.
2007 Social Work Educator of the Year
Susan Brown Smith, PhD, LICSW
Susan Brown Smith, PhD, LICSW is Professor of the Year and Director of Distance Learning at Walla Walla College. Her undergraduate education was received at Southern Adventist University and her Master of Social work degree is from Florida International University. She earned her doctorate in Leadership from Andrews University. At Walla Walla college, she teaches courses in social work practice experience is in medical social work and child welfare. Credentials include active licenses in social work in Washington and Florida and a certificate in geriatric mental health from the University of Washington. In addition to teaching she provides clinical supervision, consults, and volunteers. Following Hurricane Katrina she volunteered with the Mississippi Department of Human Services Division of Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association providing social work services at Disaster Relief Centers. A native of Miami, Florida she was also the recipient of a commendation for social work services provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. She has been involved with the Walla Walla County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, trained as a Red Cross Volunteer Disaster Mental Health Specialist, and is on the Board of Directors for Blue Mountain Action Council. Her current research activities include service on the Multi-site Institutional Review Board for the Veteran’s Administration and research on the topic of forgiveness in collaboration with other Social Work colleagues. She has presented at national and regional Social Work conferences and is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Council on Social Work Education, and Pi Lambda Theta.
2007 Outstanding Recent Graduate
Julie Elmenhurst, MSW, LICSW
Julie Elmenhurst, a native of Walla Walla, completed her MSW at Walla Walla College in 2003 while working for the Walla Walla County Juvenile Court as a juvenile probation officer, a position she held for 11 years. Julie describes her MSW experience at Walla Wall College as among the most rewarding and enjoyable experience of her life. It was also life changing. While earning her MSW and working at the juvenile court, Julie received training in Functional Family Therapy (FFT), which the Washington State juvenile justice system has recognized and supported as an evidenced based treatment program for youth and families. Julie’s participation in, and completion of her MSW was the catalyst for her changing careers from that of a juvenile probation officer to a counselor. Julie has been an FFT therapist since 2002, initially working from Walla Walla County. She held the same position with the Benton County Juvenile Court until early 2007, at which time Julie left government employment for private practice. The majority of her work is Functional Family Therapy. Julie provides FFT as a contractor with the Benton County Juvenile Court, she is an FFT consultant of other FFT therapists in Washington State, and FFT, LLC has a contract with her as a national consultant and trainer. Julie passed her LICSW exam in 2006. In her spare time, Julie enjoys gardening, reading, and exercising. She is currently training to do the Danskin triathlon in Seattle in August for the 40th birthday. Julie lives with her partner, Allison, and their 3 Labradors in Kennewick.
2007 Outstanding Student
Jarron Magallanes
Jarron entered the field of social work in 2001 with a background in Communication and Journalism. His first few jobs as a social worker were working with homeless and at-risk adolescents and young adults in Seattle. During the four years as a social worker, he decided that returning to school for a BASW and an MSW would be crucial so that he can learn the valuable tools of professional practice that would enable and inform more effective social change strategies. As a BASW student at the University of Washington, Jarron served as the BSW student representative to the NASW Board of Directors during the 2006-2007 school year. He helped to conduct outreach to Washington State social work students, and was involved with the volunteer recruitment for the 2007 NASW Conference. He also helped to mobilize BASW students to become involved in Lobby Day 2006. Jarron was also funded this past school year by the Mary Gates Endowment for Students to conduct qualitative research pertaining to high-risk behaviors amongst Asian/Pacific Islander gay men on internet dating sites. During the next year, Jarron will be moving to New York City with his partner and two cats, where he will complete an advanced standing MSW program at Columbia University, with focus on “Health and Mental Health”. From there, he may pursue a doctoral degree.