Joel L. Rubin, MSW, LSW, ACSW, CAE
NASW-Illinois Chapter Executive Director
As I put together this month's "From the Pen of the Executive Director," article, we are on the cusp of the last month of the 2021–2023 licensure cycle. If you are still in need of CEUs, you can take advantage of the many offerings still available in the month of November, including our virtual NASW Chapters Conference that will take place November 2–3, 2023, in which one can earn up to 11 live virtual CEUs. Additional CEU opportunities are available throughout the month of November and can be found on the NASW-IL Events page. If you have questions going into the stretch, please refer to our 2023 NASW-IL Guide for Licensure Renewal.
On October 14, 2023, I had the honor and opportunity to attend the NASW Foundation Pioneer event in Washington, DC, in which two Illinois members, Jonathan Singer, PhD, and Diana Stroud were inducted as Pioneers along with others across the country. Part of the day’s program included a student panel which, along with the other PhD students from Howard University (two of them from Illinois), proved to be a very encouraging and hopeful future of our profession.
In other news:
Chapter President Latesha Newson has appointed Michael Mallory, LCSW, Chicago District Chair and board member as Chair of the Chapter’s Legislative Committee.
The NASW-IL Chapter has been responding to the many inquiries regarding the delays in license processing by Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). NASW-IL Chapter Director of Legislative Affairs Kyle Hillman provided testimony at the Illinois House of Representatives Health Care Licenses Committee about the delays on September 20, 2023.
Welcome to Kara Wagner who is the NASW-IL Chapter’s graduate student intern for the 2023–24 academic year. Kara is a first-year student at UIC-Jane Addams College of Social Work and has been with the chapter since September.
On October 3rd, I represented the chapter on the State of Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center Advisory Council that took place in Springfield, IL, to provide input and guidance in the development of this new center. The Advisory Council will be meeting again in early January of 2024 to discuss priorities for FY25.
On November 15th, our chapter’s 9-person elected delegation will participate in 2023 NASW Delegate Assembly, which is the representative, decision-making body through which NASW members set broad organizational policy, establish program priorities, and develop a collective stance on public and professional issues. The NASW Delegate Assembly is comprised of 220 elected delegates from across the country, including the NASW Board of Directors. In addition, the NASW CEO and chapter executive directors are nonvoting delegates, making a total of 277 delegates. Article V of the National Bylaws addresses Delegate Assembly.
The social work community in Illinois recently was informed that the Illinois Society for Clinical Social Work (ICSW) will be closing as of December 31, 2023. Over the years, the chapter has collaborated on projects with the ICSW. We thank you for your important contributions to the profession over the years and welcome your members to become active in the NASW-IL Chapter.
With leaves falling throughout the state as we enter November, we wish all of you a meaningful Thanksgiving Holiday.