Leadership
Grand Challenges Network Leadership
Grand Challenges Leadership Board
Richard Barth, PhD, MSW (Chair, Executive Committee)
Professor and Past Dean
University of Maryland School of Social Work
rbarth@ssw.umaryland.edu
Carrie Pettus, PhD (Chair Elect, Executive Committee)
Principal
Justice Systems Partners
carrie@justicesystempartners.org
Melissa Begg, ScD (Executive Committee)
Dean and Professor
Columbia University, School of Social Work
cssw-dean@columbia.edu
Ron Manderscheid, PhD (Executive Committee)
Past Executive Director, National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors
National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD)
rwmanderscheid@gmail.com
Michael S. Spencer, PhD (Executive Committee)
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Presidential Term Professor
Director, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander & Oceanic Affairs
University of Washington School of Social Work
mspenc@uw.edu
James Herbert Williams, PhD (Executive Committee)
Arizona Centennial Professor and Past Director
Arizona State University School of Social Work
james.herbert1@asu.edu
Steve Anderson, PhD, MSW
Dean and Professor
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, School of Social Work
sandersn@illinois.edu
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, MSW, BCBA
DSW Student
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California
candreva@usc.edu
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
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
Catherine Gayle, PhD
Department Chair of Social Work, Associate Professor
Savannah State University
gaylec@savannahstate.edu
Neil B. Guterman, MSW, PhD
Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor
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, LCSW, PhD
Associate Professor & Director
Center for Homelessness, Housing and Health Equity Research & University of Southern California, Suzanne Doworak-Peck School of Social Work
bhenwood@usc.edu
Nadia Islam, PhD, LCSW
Program Director, Doctorate of Social Work Program
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California
nislam@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
Former Dean and Professor
Portland State University School of Social Work
nissen@pdx.edu
Trina R. Shanks, PhD
Associate Professor
Faculty Associate, Survey Research Center, Institute of Social Research
University of Michigan, School of Social Work
trwilli@umich.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 Past Dean
University at Buffalo, School of Social Work
swdean@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
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
University of Utah, College of Social Work
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
University of Michigan, School of Social Work
lvideka@umich.edu
Gautam Yadama, MSSA, PhD
Dean and Professor
Boston College, School of Social Work
gautam.yadama@bc.edu
Past Members
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
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
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
