Nichelle Curtis-McQueen, MSW

Legislative Action Committee Chair

Nichelle is a BSW from University of Indianapolis and MSW from Simmons University (formally know as Simmons College) originally from Indiana and has lived in Washington since 2012. She currently lives in Federal Way, WA, and is the co-chair the City of Federal Way Diversity Commission.  She currently works for the State of Washington Juvenile Rehabilitation at an institution called Green Hill School as a compliance manager.  She has worked for this agency since 2012 when she moved to Washington.

Garrett Hebel, MSW, LICSW, SUDP

Chapter President 2021-2023

With a Bachelors in Social Work and Spanish from Loras College in Dubuque, IA, and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University of Chicago, Garrett moved to Seattle in 2016 when he joined Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to serve as a Mental Health Practitioner, in which he provides outpatient assessment, case management, referral, and group and individual therapy for clients with mental health and substance use disorders. Garrett holds licenses in WA as an Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Substance Use Disorder Professional.

Maame Bassaw

Western Washington

As Maame continues her journey in receiving her MSW, she would like to extend her contribution within her focus area of community organization, advocacy, social justice and political leadership to NASW. She is active in legislative policy for behavioral health services in the state of WA as a Certified Peer Counselor and community leader. She would like to share her knowledge of current legislations that will benefit NASW and be a voice for the realm of social work. She has been apart of legislative workgroups for recent behavioral health bills that have passed in WA state. She would like to strengthen advocacy and participation in the legislative process for NASW WA as much as possible.​

Patricia Barnes Cannon, MSW

Western Washington

Patricia Barnes Cannon has been a resident of the state of Washington since 2014. She received her BA in education/social welfare and MSW with dual specialization in child welfare and policy, administration, community development from Arizona State University. She completed postmasters work at the University of Arizona in interdisciplinary studies including cultural anthropology, Indigenous studies/administration.  

Adrian Bruton, ACSW

Western Washington

Adrian Bruton (LICSW. ACSW, OSW-C) is a transplant from Alabama to Olympia. She is a certified oncology social worker. She is in the process of working towards her DSW from The University of Alabama.

Christine Ingersoll, MSW, ACSW, LICSW

Western Washington

Christine has been a social worker since 1976, working first in residential treatment for children, special needs foster care and adoption, and then transitioning to hospital based medical social work and then to  home based hospice care. After retiring from full time work, Christine continued with a small practice providing individual supervision for social workers working towards licensure. She is a strong advocate for social work, and has mentored many people in the profession.

Amber Letchworth, BASW

Eastern Washington 

​Amber joined NASW as an undergraduate in the BASW program at EWU. Amber is currently attending Gonzaga University School of Law, pursuing her JD/MSW. Amber's undergraduate studies focused on analyzing systems as perpetuating disparities in our society and expanding cultural understandings of historically marginalized groups. In addition to my many advocate roles in Amber's community, she co-founded The Revive Center for Returning Citizens in 2015—a peer-led non-profit organization that collaborates with impacted populations and families. 

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Midge Levy, ACSW

Western Washington

Midge Levy retired from many years of working in Seattle at Group Health Cooperative as a social work manager in Home Health and Hospice, also as a member of the HIV/AIDS team.  She served on the board of NASW WA for many years as well as the board of End of Life WA, and worked on the successful passage of the WA Death with Dignity law in 2008.

Vernon Loke, Ph.D.

Eastern Washington

Vernon Loke, PhD, is currently the Associate Dean at the College of Professional Programs, and Professor of Social Work, at Eastern Washington University. Vernon’s practice and research focus on program development and evaluation, financial empowerment, asset building, legislative engagement and advocacy, and consumer protections. He also volunteers on the boards of several social service organizations and advocacy groups. 

Christina Mason, MSW

Western Washington

Christina Mason received a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Washington in 2013. She lives in Seattle and is currently the Program Manager at King County Drug Diversion Court. Prior work has included Emergency Department social work, and outreach / case management with youth experiencing homelessness and incarceration. She began serving on NASW’s Legislative Action Committee in 2020.  

Skye Newkirk, LICSW

Eastern Washington

Skye first became involved in NASW when he lived in Ft. Worth, TX studying to obtain his BSW. He sat on the state NASW board as the BSW student representative at that time, and spent the year participating in conference planning, legislative action, and advocating within the organization for LGBTQ+ members. At the end of the year, he received the chapter's BSW Student of the Year award. Fast forward to today, and he works at a primary care clinic in Goldendale, WA. His clinical practice has strengthened his skills in communication and advocacy, and living in a rural area has challenged him to open his perspective to the strengths and special qualities of rural social work. He is honored to continue his service to the NASW organization and to be a voice that breaks isolation for the community of rural Washington social workers.

Janice Nordland, LICSWA

Western Washington

Janice is a School Social Worker with a passion for helping families and communities navigate educational systems. Her goal is to improve access to education, increase engagement, and support marginalized communities within these systems. She graduated with an MSW in 2016 from UW Tacoma and is currently pursuing her LICSW.​

Claudia Sellmaier, Ph.D., MSW, MA

Western Washington

Claudia was trained and worked as a social worker in Germany, mainly working with unhoused young adults providing wrap-around services. She is now faculty at the University of Washington Tacoma School of Social Work and Criminal Justice.

Svetlana Shjerven

Western Washington 

Svetlana Shjerven is a Master of Social Work (MSW) graduate student at Arizona State University, and graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from Central Washington University in 2020. She works as a clinical intern at a behavioral health group practice in Issaquah, where she provides individual therapy, referral services, and some case management for her clients. She volunteers her time at a non-profit in Seattle, where she is a support group facilitator for LGBTQ+ youths. She is a proud social work professional who strives and has made it her life's mission to to make a positive impact in society - whether it be on a micro, mezzo, and/or macro level. Her professional affiliations include the National Association of Social Work, Washington State Society for Clinical Social Work, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Phi Alpha Honor Society. Upon completion of her MSW in 2022, she intends to pursue Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) licensure in Washington, and continue to maintain an active role in social policy and advocacy.

Ruby Townsend, LSWAIC

Ruby works as a social worker for a Mobile Integrated Health program housed within the Bellevue Fire Department, responding to 911 calls alongside first responders with the goal of trying to fill gaps in our current mental health, medical, and social service systems. Ruby hopes to use her experience with vulnerable populations and people in crisis to inform policy decisions that will not only change the systems to serve these individuals better, but also to help shape the newly emerging field of mental health crisis response.