Message From the President

Building on the Chapter's Legacy for a Stronger Profession

by Dr. Rose Starr

As your incoming President beginning July 1st, I am privileged to carry on a tradition of collaboration to address the challenges faced by our profession. At a time when social work is crucially important in the lives of our clients and communities, we need significant changes in the values and priorities of systems and organizations. To effect such changes on a local and national level, social workers must be unified and organized to realize the power of collective action.

This is something that my predecessors in office understood well. Theirs is a legacy of organizational understanding and accomplishment that has improved the prospects of NASW-NYC and professional social workers beyond measure.

Contributions of Former Presidents

For example, Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, in concert with the Puerto Rican Family Institute and our Executive Director Bob Schachter, knew that recruiting more Latinos to attend social work school required the mobilization of community leaders as well as the generation of scholarships and other supports. Thus the emergence of the Latino Social Work Task Force, a partnership of individuals and organizations capable of publicizing the need for Latino social workers and initiating successful action to achieve it.

Before Elaine Congress was President, NASW-NYC did not have a professional lobbyist. Realizing that we needed our own guide and advocate in Albany’s complex political arena to move licensing forward, Elaine urged the hiring of a lobbyist. This decision ushered in a period of improved positioning and response in a competitive system. It was Elaine’s foresight and leadership that challenged us to become more effective “systems-savvy” advocates for members’ needs.

Alma Carten’s contributions also strengthened the Chapter to take on important issues and form key collaborations. Her understanding of the infrastructure of successful organizations helped set the course for our first systematic strategic planning and fund raising efforts. Now a core part of NASW-NYC, these processes shape the direction and use of resources to achieve our objectives.

Mary Pender Greene, speaking at the year-end colloquium on the MSW student field placements with the Undoing Racism project this year, recognized that she has become a “clinician/organizer” on issues of race and racism with her own and other social agencies. Acknowledging the “baby steps” and slow pace of long-term institutional change, she also understood the necessity to engage allies if we are to undo racial barriers and have a positive impact on social workers’ communication with each other and with  the community.

Paul Kurzman, The Right President at the Right Time

Perhaps no one in recent times has been more systemic in his thinking or more prepared for collective action than Paul Kurzman, our outgoing President. These past two years with Paul at the helm have been ones of great clarity, movement and purpose. Recognizing that budget structure reflects organizational priorities and can create incentives and institutionalize desired norms of behavior, Paul was responsible for offering all NASW-NYC Board Members an Association-paid registration to attend the 2 ½ day Undoing Racism workshop. (As Acting Dean at Hunter SSW, he made the same offer to all masters students who are NASW members.)

On the complex problems associated with the roll-out of social work licensure, we could not have had a more knowledgeable or effective advocate at both the State level and with individuals needing expert guidance. Working closely with the Chair of the Licensing Task Force, Jennifer Crumpley, Paul has used his years of knowledge and experience to help craft institutional/legal arguments that counter potentially harmful regulations and balance the profession’s concern for equity and quality. He is consistently guided by professional and ethical principles, always keeping clients and the community at the forefront of the Association’s deliberations and actions.

I am so grateful for the legacy that he and all the Presidents who have gone before have left. Each has met very different organizational circumstances – both internal and external to NASW-NYC – with great integrity, creativity and dedication. These are leaders whose skills and abilities the Association should not lose; I will turn to them for the wisdom so characteristic of the people they are and the great contributions they have made.

As this discussion suggests, as your new President, my goal is to build on the direction and programs initiated by the Board, our Executive Director, and officers. We want to assure the recognition and availability of professional social workers and quality practice to meet growing and complex individual and community needs. We want to rid our practice and institutions of racism, gender bias, and other forms of discrimination. We want our profession and association to look like our City in all its strength and glory. We want respect, living wages, and a voice for social workers on the job.

Ours is not a deficit of goals, but of means. I hope to interest many of you in engaging in collective efforts that will expand our reach, our resources and our influence to achieve the important objectives we’ve set. Personally, I learned so much from meeting with groups and departments of social workers this year, and hope you will invite me to listen and hear more about your work and dreams.