The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) is pleased to announce the composition of the 2026 Board of Directors. We welcomed two distinguished, newly-elected members to our leadership this year, including Founding Academy President Richard P. Barth, PhD, MSW, who is a Distinguished University Professor at University of Maryland's School of Social Work; and Fred Wulczyn, PhD, who is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Center for State Child Welfare Data in Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. "Our board and membership benefit greatly from the wealth of scholarly and institutional knowledge that Drs. Barth and Wulczyn bring with them," said Dr. Michael A. Lindsey, Academy President.

"We are also grateful for the continued service of our three returning and ten continuing board members, whose work helps guide the Academy in our mission," Dr. Lindsey added. They are:

Returning Members

• Susan Stone, PhD — Dean and Catherine Mary and Eileen Clare Hutto Professor of Social Services in Public Education, School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
• Barbara Jones, PhD, MSW, FAOSW — Dean and Professor, Boston University School of Social Work
• Charles E. Lewis, Jr., MSW, PhD — Founder and Director, Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP); Adjunct Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work

Continuing Board Members

• Anita P. Barbee, PhD — Professor, Distinguished University Scholar, and PhD Director, Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, University of Louisville
• Tonya Edmond, PhD — William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
• Laura Abrams, PhD — Professor, Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA
• Llewellyn J. Cornelius, PhD, LCSW — Donald Lee Hollowell Distinguished Professor of Civil Rights and Social Justice Studies and Director, Center for Social Justice, Human, and Civil Rights, University of Georgia
• Elizabeth Lightfoot, PhD — Director and Distinguished Professor of Social Policy, School of Social Work, Arizona State University
• Neil B. Guterman, PhD — Paulette Goddard Professor and Dean Emeritus, NYU Silver School of Social Work
• Michael S. Spencer, PhD — Ballmer Endowed Dean and Professor, School of Social Work, University of Washington
• Sean Joe, PhD, MSW — Associate Dean and Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
• Michael A. Lindsey, PhD, MSW — Dean and Paulette Goddard Professor of Social Work, NYU Silver School of Social Work
• Dexter R. Voisin, PhD, LCSW — Dean of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University

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About the Academy

Established in 2010, the Academy is an honorific society of distinguished scholars and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare through high-impact work that advances social good. Its membership includes more than 200 Fellows who are prominent scholars, top researchers and practitioners. The nomination and election of new Fellows is conducted annually, and new Academy Presidents are elected every 3 years.