Faculty Member Named NASW Florida Big Bend Unit Educator of the Year
Dr. Shalay Jackson was awarded the 2024 Educator of the Year for the Big Bend region of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
"Dr. Jackson is one of those rare educators I have encountered who puts her students and teaching first," wrote her nominator, Alexis Tsoukalas, a policy analyst for the Florida Policy Institute. "Yet she still successfully presents and engages in copious non-teaching activities – and does so exceptionally. Moreover, she is a long-time leader in the often-overlooked arena of macro social work."
Dr. Jackson joined the FSU College of Social Work faculty in 2018 and has become a driving force for macro social work, community engagement, and advocacy opportunities that include classes and have expanded into additional student support roles. She is also the faculty advisor for the FSU Chapter of the Macro Social Work Student Network and is the director of the Arts and Athletics Program at the college.
She has received the Professor of the Year award three times since returning to Florida State, her alma mater (BSW 2006).
"She never ceases to inspire me," said Ms. Tsoukalas. "She deserves this award because her commitment to excellence, racial equity and social work with students has remained steadfast in her nearly 20 years of practice."
Dr. Jackson is a board member of the Association of Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA), the Special Commission to Advance Macro Social Work (Special Commission), and the National Macro Social Work Student Network Advisory Board. She planned and hosted the first macro career webinar for the Special Commission, which had more than 200 people in attendance and developed the Macro Social Work Career Guide, which more than 4,500 people have accessed since the guide was distributed in late 2023.
As the Macro Careers Chair for the Special Commission, Dr. Jackson and the group plan to share the Career Resource Guide more broadly, host career panels featuring macro practitioners and facilitate mentoring opportunities. This year, the Macro Social Work Student Network Advisory Board organized the "MSWSN Voter Engagement Challenge" to encourage all MSWSN chapters to host at least one voter engagement activity on their campus during the Fall 2024 semester.
Her mentoring and support of FSU's Chapter of the Macro Social Work Student Network (MSWSN) has also become a national example due to its accomplishments since it started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Jackson's students established regular social justice and macro social work virtual events, a monthly newsletter, and annual events to support students and practitioners, including voter education, social work month events, networking, and support events.
The FSU MSWSN chapter has also created and hosted two webinars for the National Macro Social Work Student Network. It has sponsored several students to attend Student Advocacy Day with the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy. The chapter was recognized in 2023 by ACOSA with its Best Macro Social Group Award at the Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting.
Dr. Jackson not only supports students in exploring the opportunities in macro social work as students, but she is also an active presence at advocacy events, including the NASW Florida annual Legislative Education and Advocacy Days.
"I'm grateful to have the support of ACOSA, The Special Commission to Advance Macro Social Work, MSWSN, and other members of Macro United, as we are all committed to preserving and promoting the importance of macro practice within our profession," said Dr. Jackson.