This year, the National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL) is honoring the work of some exceptional Illinois social workers and individuals whose work promotes social justice and social change with and on behalf of the people and clients they serve.
Many thanks to this year’s NASW-Illinois Chapter Awards Committee members as well: Grisel Rodríguez-Morales, Chair, LaTasha Roberson-Guifarro, and Michael Mallory.
Congratulations to this year's 2021 NASW-Illinois Chapter Statewide Award winners!
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Andrew C. Teitelman (MA, The University of Chicago; LCSW, ACSW) began his social work career at Metropolitan Family Services in 1975 where he served as clinician, supervisor, and program director. He served in a number of roles within the agency, culminating in his role as executive vice president. In 2003, he transitioned to the Chicago House Authority (CHA) as deputy managing director of resident services. He is credited with many accomplishments that directly supported the quality of life and opportunity for residents. In 2008, he became vice president of resident services at CHA. He established partnerships with major utilities to launch the “All Clear” program assisted public housing residents to clear their utility bills by matching their payments. In six years, 23,000 residents cleared more than $3 million of debt.
In his final role at CHA as director of senior services from 2013 until his retirement in 2018, Andrew was responsible for assisting nearly 11,000 senior households with services and activities to help seniors age in place. He was also responsible for overseeing more than 60 health partnerships focused on improving resident access to services and address critical health needs of all residents.
Andrew is also past president (2001–2003) of the NASW-Illinois Chapter and presently serves as co-chair of the Older Adults Shared Interest Group (SIG). He is also giving back to Chicago through his service as co-chair of the Chicago-Shanghai Sister Cities Social Services Exchange Sub-committee which focuses on sharing best practices for work with older adults.
SOCIAL WORKER OF THE YEAR: Rosanelly Garcia (MSW, Loyola University Chicago; LSW) works on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as an emergency room/trauma social worker at Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH). There she brings an innovative and caring approach to the patients she cares for. She has worked with adults released from prison, children detained by immigration, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as homeless youth. Rosanelly has served as adjunct professor at St. Augustine College and as Chicago District Chair on the NASW-Illinois Chapter Board of Directors.
As a social worker, Rosanelly has had direct impact in the lives of the community she serves surrounding MSH, a Level 1 Trauma Center hospital in Chicago. Colleagues tell stories about her going above and beyond the call of duty. While at MSH, Nelly has reinvigorated the hospital’s domestic violence program as well as provided wraparound services for their sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking patients. She has located and found family members for patients that have gone missing as well as repatriate and reunite patients with their families all over the world. Nelly has also been a source of strength for patients and their families as she is working daily on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EMERGING SOCIAL WORK LEADER: Nathaniel Bossick (MSW, Tulane University; LCSW) is strategic project administrator for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (CJIA) which is dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice in Illinois. Since joining CJIA, he has worked on incorporating a social work lens into grant management and grant making to better benefit the most vulnerable persons living in Illinois. He currently serves on the board of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Illinois where he incorporates his knowledge and voice to enhance services, access to housing, and other supports for person's living with mental illness in the entire part of Illinois.
Throughout his career, Nathaniel has had a passion for working with chronically homeless individuals living with persistent and severe mental illness. Prior to coming to Illinois, Nathaniel lived in New Orleans where he worked to develop a low-barrier transitional housing program for chronically homeless women and transwomen living with persistent and severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders. He was recognized by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in honor of his service helping the city of New Orleans end veteran homelessness.
PUBLIC CITIZEN OF THE YEAR: Julie A. Pryde (MPH, University of Illinois at Springfield; MSW, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; LSW) is administrator of Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) in Illinois. In the past year, her work for Champaign County guided it through the pandemic through organization of a highly effective contact tracing program. Despite facing public criticism from many quarters, Ms. Pryde persisted in ensuring organized access to vaccines and kept in regular communication with the public in order to push back against misinformation. Her work resulted in world class modeling, contact tracing, and testing opportunities and as a result, Champaign County was one of the safest places in the state.
The NASW-Illinois Chapter is proud of the work of Andrew Teitelman, Rosanelly Garcia, Nathaniel Bossick, and Julie Pryde for their contributions both to the social work profession as well as their communities. To learn more about the awardees, click through to our Awards page to view all press releases.