Alumni Spotlight: Jessica J. Mitchell, MSW '2014
Jessica is running for the Secretary position on the NASW NYS Chapter Board of Directors! NASW members will receive an election ballot by email in the next few weeks.
Bio: Jessica currently serves as a field education coordinator at Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare. She is also a field instructor for social work students interning in legislative offices and teaches graduate and undergraduate social work courses on policy, legislative advocacy, and political social work. Jessica is an experienced community organizer, fundraiser, legislative aide, and campaigner - having worked on federal, state, local, and municipal elections. She currently serves as the NASW-NYS Nassau Division Director and the PACE Committee Chairperson. Jessica holds and MSW and an MA in Public Policy from Stony Brook University. She is pursuing her PhD in Social Work at the University at Albany. In 2020, she was honored as the NASW-NYS Doctoral Student of the Year.
Platform Statement: "As an NASW-NYS Board Member, I will strive to strengthen the association's formal relationships with elected officials. More than ever, it is vital for social workers to assume key roles in the development and implementation of public policy. Social workers have the unique training, perspective, and lived experiences needed to influence outcomes impacting social justice issues. Therefore, it is imperative that social workers seek positions and serve in elected office. As a Board Member, I will work with leadership and membership to create a recruitment plan to embed social workers into elected state and local government. Additionally, I will work to strengthen the existing relationships with schools of social work throughout the state. Providing quality education to students on the values, principles, and ethics endorsed by the NASW is key to the development of future social workers."
