volume 25, number 2 • March/April 2015

Sad news We have heard that DAN WHEE-LAN’s mother recently passed away. DAN is a member of ASWB’s Finance Committee and a former item development consul-tant with ASWB’s exam develop-ment program. He also served on the ASWB Board of Directors.

Baccalaureate Program Directors (BPD) annual conference in Kansas City, MO CARL ALGOOD, a member of the DC Board of Social Workers in the 1980s, shared a ride from the airport to the BPD conference loca-tion with ASWB CEO MARY JO MONAHAN and JAYNE WOOD, director of communications and marketing. He recalled some of his expe-riences as a board member in the early days of social work regulation—when ASWB was AASSWB. CARL later stopped by ASWB’s booth for a photo with ASWB Secretary FRAN FRANKLIN and MARY JO.

Other friends of ASWB who stopped by the booth included MICHAEL DALEY, chair of the Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners; HEIDI NIEUWSMA from the North Dakota State Board of Social Work

Examiners; SAUNDRA STARKS of Kentucky, a former ASWB Board member; and MONICA ROTH DAY of Minnesota, an item development consul-tant with

ASWB’s exam development program. DON EUBANKS, assistant professor at Metropolitan State University’s BSW program, stopped by when MONICA was at the booth. Apparently DON is a longtime friend of MONICA’s husband, JOHN, but MONICA and DON had never met—until they connected at the ASWB booth.

M. JENISE COMER, ASWB president-elect, played a major role in helping to organize the

events at the BPD conference in Kansas City. ASWB President DORINDA NOBLE made two presentations, one with MARY JO on the importance of social work licensing. In addition to exhibiting, ASWB sponsored an awards luncheon for students.

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NASW-Mississippi Chapter Conference in Biloxi

Members of the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists gathered for a photo (above) at the NASW-Mississippi Chapter conference in Biloxi in March. From left: SPENCER BLALOCK, ANNA LYN WHITT, JO ANN TINSLEY-ROUNSAVILLE, CHRISTY AINSWORTH, and administrative assistant ERICA ALLEN.

association asides

© 2015, Association of Social Work Boards www.aswb.org

KRISTI PLOTNER, former Mississippi board member and current ASWB Bylaws and Resolutions Committee chair, was in attendance representing the Mississippi Department of Medicaid. Three students from the social work program at Missis-sippi State University brought greetings from MELINDA PILKINTON, ASWB director at large and former Mississippi board member, who could not attend the conference. MELINDA: Be sure to give your students credit for showing up at the ASWB booth!

***National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) conference in Chicago M. JENISE COMER, ASWB president-elect, FRAN FRANKLIN, ASWB secretary, and SAUNDRA STARKS of Kentucky, a former ASWB Board member, presented “Urban Legends: Preparing the Next Generation for Licensed Practice” at the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) Annual Conference in Chicago. The workshop was attended by 25 participants, and two exam guides were given away at the end of the session. JENISE and SAUNDRA served on a panel discussing professionalism that was attended by more than 50 students. JENISE’s focus was on licensure. JENISE also presented about licensing in the state of Missouri in a workshop attended by 23 students.

Fran Franklin, M. Jenise Comer, and Saundra Starks were co-presenters at a well-attended session debunking “urban legends” about the ASWB social work ex-ams at the NABSW conference in Chicago.

***Taking New Board Member Training on the road The first session of New Board Member Training for 2015 quickly filled and included 26 members from 19 member boards. Could it be because the training took place in Miami? ASWB thanks RICHARD SILVER of Québec, NBMT chair, for persevering as one of the presenters despite laryngitis. RICHARD, we hope you have fully recovered!

***ASWB welcomes....DANE ISHIHARA, who takes over as bureau manager of Utah’s social work licensing board from interim director STEVE DUNCOMBE. SHEILA MCKINNON-OKE reports that she is the new executive director/registrar in

Nova Scotia.

and says good-bye....to CATHERINE CHAPPELL of Virginia, who retired as exec-utive director of the Behav-ioral Sciences

Board, and to MARC WAGG of Nova Scotia.

***Celebrating Social Work Month

ASWB attends Social Work Day on the Hill MARY JO MONAHAN took part in activities on Capitol Hill on March 17 as part of Social Work Day during Social Work Month. More than 200 social workers, educators, and students attended the events.

ASWB leaders published on The New Social Worker website

Articles by ASWB President DORINDA NOBLE and CEO MARY JO MONAHAN were featured on The New Social Worker magazine website in March. DORINDA’s article was about prudent professional practice, and MARY JO wrote about the value of professional regulation.

Attendees at New Board Member Training, from left to right: Front row: Maria Del Villar (VA), Ronda Jones (RI), Brenda Lee Woodworth (NL), LaShea Cobb-England (AL), Mary Weaver (MN), Jennifer Lang (VA), Brenda Holden (AR); middle row: Karen Chesley (SD), Emma Gauvin (BC), Teresita Ramos (MA), Wendy Pinet (NB), Helen Jackson (AR), Judy Gardner (ON), Dèirdre Smith (ON), Jennifer Anderson-Meger (WI), Barry Noel (RI); back row: James Turner (NC), Mark Gianino (MA), Kathy Lombardi (MN), Paulette Walker (LA), Rodney Este (MS), Kenneth Mazur (MI), Sheryn Peterson (SK), Jennifer Fulcher (MS), Thomas Babauta (GU), Yolanda Burnom (LA). Not pictured: Sandy Kalkunte (MA).