NASW-Florida Honors Leaders, Advocates and Champions
Five award recipients were honored in Tallahassee on March 27, 2018 for their contributions to the social work profession, education, and the community. The awards were presented at the 2018 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Florida Chapter, Big Bend Unit celebration breakfast at Tapestry Senior Living.
Two of this year’s award recipients in the Big Bend unit included FSU College of Social Work alumna and instructor Jane Dwyer Lee, and student Kapria Lee. Kapria and Jane along with the other recipients were noted as particularly exemplifying the traits celebrated in this year’s NASW Social Work Month theme of “Social Workers. Leaders. Advocates. Champions.” The theme acknowledges the varied roles social workers play every day as advocates, champions and leaders to provide, hope, change and services to individuals, families and communities.
Guest speaker and NASW-Florida President-Elect Carol Campbell Edwards expounded on the theme. She remarked that social work professionals and students demonstrate leadership by organizing and collaborating to develop interventions and improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities. She reflected on childhood life lessons she learned from social workers in her community, namely her mother, Monticello Campbell, who left an indelible impression of social work’s commitment to advocate for social justice. Carol challenged the group to keep in mind core practices that lead to championship outcomes: strategic approaches, teamwork and never giving up.
Award recipients included:
- Social Worker of the Year: Margo, Jackson, MSW, Refuge House
- Social Work Student of the Year: Kapria Lee, MSW Student, FSU College of Social Work
- Social Work Educator of the Year: Jane Dwyer Lee, Associate Teaching Professor, FSU College of Social Work
- Public Citizen of the Year: Debbie Moroney, CEO, Alzheimer’s Project
- Agency of the Year: Tapestry Senior Living
Carol, who nominated Jane Dwyer Lee for Social Work Educator of the Year noted that “Jane has a wonderful history with FSU. She’s an accomplished social worker and has a true passion for teaching.”
Carol also underscored that Jane’s smile, enthusiasm, and investment in students make her a model social work educator, and inspires her as a fellow faculty member. Jane’s excellence in teaching has been noted at the university level as well. She has been nominated for university teaching awards every year since 2009 and received the Guardian of the Flame Faculty Award. She is also the faculty advisor for Hearts for the Homeless and the Governance Committee Chairperson for the FSU Early Head Start Program.
MSW Student Kapria Lee and Social Work Student of the Year for the Big Bend Unit also stood out for her commitment to public service and social justice. She is a current student in the MSW/MPA (Masters in Public Administration) joint degree program and a 2017 recipient of the Phi Alpha MSW Scholarship Award. She is also a CSW Ambassador, representing the FSU College of Social Work student body at college events, and is a member of Phi Alpha Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, and FSU Fellows Society. She is also a recipient of the College of Social Work’s MSW Class of 1975 Scholarship and the FSU Black Alumni Association’s Dr. Williams R. Jones Scholarship.
Other units also boasted FSU College of Social Work Alumni recognized for their contributions to social work: