Feminist Scholar Award
The CSWE Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education annually awards a feminist scholar who has advanced feminist knowledge as it pertains to social work theory, research, practice, policy, and education. To apply for this award, visit the CSWE Submittable website.
2022 Feminist Scholar Award Recipient
This year’s recipient is Saundra Starks. Dr. Starks is a Professor Emeritus of Social Work and the former MSW Program Director at Western Kentucky University. She has over 45 years of professional social work experience which includes teaching, research, consultation, training, supervision, and clinical practice. She has numerous presentations and publications in the areas of diversity, women, spirituality, mental health, supervision, cultural competency, and leadership training. Dr. Starks also maintains a part-time psychotherapy practice in Bowling Green, Kentucky (Bower, Starks, Reeves & Hayes). In addition, she serves on several local, national, and international community service committees and boards. As a few indications of her extensive commitment to the global community, Dr. Starks was the most recent past president of the Bowling Green International Center Board for refugee resettlement. Likewise, she has extensive experiences in teaching study abroad courses in Taiwan, Tanzania, Ghana, and Belize. A current scholarship passion for Dr. Starks is a research project called Project Rafiki in Tanzania that is an interdisciplinary food assistance program for a center that provides services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Among her many years of extraordinary contributions to the profession was her post as CSWE's Chair of the Board of Directors (July 2019–June 2022).