Leadership
Grand Challenges Network Leadership
Grand Challenges Leadership Board
Carrie Pettus, PhD (Chair, Executive Committee)
President/CEO
Wellbeing & Equity Innovations
carrie@wellbeingandequity.org
Richard Barth, PhD, MSW (Past Chair, Executive Committee)
Professor and Dean Emeritus
University of Maryland School of Social Work
rbarth@ssw.umaryland.edu
Melissa Begg, ScD (Executive Committee)
Dean and Professor
Columbia University, School of Social Work
cssw-dean@columbia.edu
Schnavia Hatcher, PhD (Executive Committee)
Dean and Professor
University of Alabama, School of Social Work
schnavia.hatcher@ua.edu
Ron Manderscheid, PhD (Executive Committee)
Adjunct Professor, Former President/CEO of NACBHDD and NARMH
University of Southern California and Johns Hopkins University
rwmanderscheid@gmail.com
Michael S. Spencer, PhD (Executive Committee)
Professor and Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work
University of Washington School of Social Work
mspenc@uw.edu
Steve Anderson, PhD, MSW
Professor and Dean Emeritus
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, School of Social Work
sandersn@illinois.edu
Quincy B., DSW
President & Owner
Erase the Divide LLC
Founder & Director
Erase the Redline Inc
quincyb@erasetheredline.org
Denise Burnette, PhD, MSSW
Samuel S. Wurtzel Endowed Chair in Social Work
President, Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE)
Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work
jdburnette@vcu.edu
Sarah Butts, LMSW
Director of Public Policy
National Association of Social Workers
sbutts.nasw@socialworkers.org
Ilene Allinger Candreva, DSW, MSW, BCBA
Community inclusion and integrated work experience specialist
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California
IAC.Candreva@gmail.com
Julie Cederbaum, PhD, MSW, MPH
Associate Professor
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California
Chair, Public Health Social Work Section, American Public Health Association
jcederba@usc.edu
Jandel Crutchfield, PhD, MSW
Associate Professor
The University of Texas at Arlington, School of Social Work
jandel.crutchfield@uta.edu
William Elliott III, PhD, MSW
Professor of Social Work, Director, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science
University of Michigan, School of Social Work
willelli@umich.edu
Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C
Chief Executive Officer
National Association of Social Workers
naswceo@socialworkers.org
Catherine Gayle, PhD
Department Chair of Social Work, Associate Professor
Savannah State University
gaylec@savannahstate.edu
Neil B. Guterman, MSW, PhD
Paulette Goddard Professor and Dean Emeritus
New York University, Silver School of Social Work
nguterman@nyu.edu
Melissa Haley, MSW
National President
National Association of Black Social Workers
president@nabsw.org
Benjamin Henwood, PhD, MSW, MA
Albert G. and Frances Lomas Feldman Professor of Social Policy and Health & Director, Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research
University of Southern California, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
bhenwood@usc.edu
Sean Joe, PhD
Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development
President of Society of Social Work Research
Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
sjoe@wustl.edu
Charles Lewis, PhD
President
Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy
celewisjr@crispinc.org
Mary McKay, PhD
Niedorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School
Washington University in St. Louis, Brown School
mary.mckay@wustl.edu
Laura Nissen, PhD, MSW
Professor and Dean Emeritus
Portland State University School of Social Work
nissen@pdx.edu
Desmond Upton Patton, PhD, MSW
Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor, PIK University Professor,
Chief Strategy Officer, SAFELab Director
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
dupatton@upenn.edu
Audrey Shillington, MPE, MSW, PhD
Dean
College of Health and Human Services, San José State University
Audrey.Shillington@sjsu.edu
Nancy Smyth, MSW, PhD
Professor and Dean Emeritus
University at Buffalo, School of Social Work
njsmyth@buffalo.edu
Marvin Southard, LCSW, DSW
Past Director & DSW Chair
LA County Department of Mental Health & University of Southern California, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
casasouthard@aol.com
Martell Teasley, PhD
Associate Provost for Strategic Academic Initiatives
University of Utah
martell.teasley@utah.edu
Halaevalu Vakalahi PhD, MSW, MEd
President and Chief Executive Officer
Council on Social Work Education
hvakalahi@cswe.org
Lynn Videka, PhD
Carol T. Mowbray Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Dean Emeritus
University of Michigan, School of Social Work
lvideka@umich.edu
Amy Ward, DSW, LCSW
Therapist, Assistant Professor and Program Director of Social Work
East Central University
Amyawar@ecok.edu
Gautam Yadama, MSSA, PhD
Dean and Professor
Boston College, School of Social Work
gautam.yadama@bc.edu
Past Members
Darla Coffey, PhD
Past President and CEO
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
King Davis, PhD
Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy
University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Diana M. DiNitto, PhD
Cullen Trust Centennial Professor in Alcohol Studies and Education and Distinguished Teaching Professor
University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Marilyn Flynn, PhD
Past Dean, University of Southern California
College of Social Work
Rowena Fong, EdD
Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children and Families
University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
Sarah Gehlert, PhD
Past President, AASWSW
Dean, University of Southern California
College of Social Work
J. David Hawkins, PhD
Social Work Endowed Professor in Prevention
University of Washington Social Development Research Group
James Lubben, DSW
Professor Emeritus
Boston College, School of Social Work
Trina R. Shanks, PhD
Director, School of Social Work Community Engagement,
Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work
Faculty Associate, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Robert Sheehan, MSW, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Community Mental Health Association of Michigan
Michael Sherraden, PhD (Ex-Officio Executive Committee Member)
George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor
Washington University in St. Louis, Brown School
Edwina Uehara, PhD (Chair Emeritus)
Professor and Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work
University of Washington, School of Social Work
Karina Walters, PhD
Professor, Katherine Hall Chambers Scholar Co-director, IWRI
University of Washington, School of Social Work
Patricia White, MSW
Executive Director, Fund for Social Policy Education and Practice
Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College
James Herbert Williams, PhD (Executive Committee)
Arizona Centennial Professor and Past Director
Arizona State University School of Social Work
Luis H. Zayas, PhD
Dean and Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy
University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work
