Strategic Leadership in Social Work Education

Marie Connolly, PhD,  is an Honorary Professor in Social Work at University of Melbourne, having retired from her position as Chair and Head of Social Work in 2019. Her research and writing interests include kinship care, family group conferencing, reforming child protection systems, and rights-based practice in child and family welfare. She has written extensively in her areas of scholarship, including most recently  Beyond the risk paradigm in child protection  (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and  Service Navigation  (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) .  She has a social work background in statutory child welfare, and from 2005-2010 she held the senior executive position of Chief Social Worker in the New Zealand government. Following her retirement from the University of Melbourne, and after 40 years of working in child and family welfare, she was awarded the Hyslop Medal in social work.

Charlotte Williams, OBE, PhD,  is Professor and Associate Dean Social Work at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Charlotte is a professionally qualified social worker and has worked in a range of social services including housing, health and social development settings as well as statutory social work in the UK and internationally. She has over 30 years’ experience in social work education.  Her research is underpinned by an interdisciplinary body of theory drawing largely on critical social policy, social geography, social development and theories of migration, race and multiculturalism.  Her most recent books include:  Critical Multicultural Practice in Social Work,  Allen Unwin (2019) (ed with Sharlene Nipperess);  Social Work in a Diverse Society: Transformatory practice with ethnic minority individuals and communities,  Policy Press 2016 (Ed. with M. Graham)  Social Work and The City: Urban themes in 21 ^st  Century Social Work,  Palgrave Macmillan (2016).   In 2007 she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for services to ethnic minorities and equal opportunities.

Darla Spence Coffey, PhD, MSW , is the President and Chief Executive Officer at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in the United States. CSWE is the national association for social work education.  Through its programs and initiatives, CSWE promotes emerging technologies, international collaborations, interprofessional education, and innovative models, pedagogies, and practices to advance social work education.  As the voice of social work education, CSWE works to strengthen the position of social work within higher education, the national political environment, and in the perceptions of the general public. She has an extensive background in mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. More recently, Coffey has been advancing the causes of provider well-being and leadership in presentations and writings.