CSWE's 72nd Annual Conference Draws Thousands to Atlanta

This past weekend, more than 3,200 social work educators, administrators, researchers, students, and practitioners descended on Atlanta's Marriott Marquis for the Council on Social Work Education's 72nd Annual Conference. 

Attendees experienced more than 400 educational sessions and presentations, over a dozen parties and receptions, inspiring keynote and plenary addresses, and countless meet-ups and consultations. Hot topics included CSWE's upcoming 75th anniversary, annual awards, and feedback on the first draft of the 2029 EPAS.

This year's opening plenary—the official kickoff of Annual Conference—was delivered by best-selling author Francisco "Paco" Cantú.

Cantú is the best-selling author of "The Line Becomes a River" and an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Arizona. His moving look at honoring a difficult past and the deep roots that connect all of humanity was both a fitting start and closely aligned with the conference theme, Rooted in Resilience: Honoring the Past, Grounding the Present.

"Resilience, after all, is not the passive endurance of adversity," Cantú said. "It is a form of active resistance."

The following morning, Dr. Jerome H. Schiele  delivered the Carl A. Scott Lecture. Sponsored by Howard University, the lecture commemorates Scott's enduring legacy of equity and social justice. 

Schiele, professor and chair of the PhD/DSW Department in the School of Social Work at Morgan State University, discussed the continuing and evolving significance of racism and the impact of White Supremacy in the United States—as well as opportunities social workers and the social work education community have to address these issues.

On day three, Dr. Vjollca Krasniqi delivered the annual Hokenstad International Lecture—named for former CSWE president M. C. “Terry” Hokenstad and sponsored by the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. 

Dr. Krasniqi, a professor of sociology and gender at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo, explored how memories shape futures. She drew on Kosovo's turbulent history and urged social work educators to look past dominant narratives, center survivors' agency, and help students leverage historical knowledge to inform action in the present.

Finally, CSWE's fourth-annual Futures of Social Work Plenary featured a conversation between Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano, President of Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, and CSWE President and CEO Dr. Halaevalu Vakalahi (pictured above).

Cordano gave concrete advice on how social work educators can best support and engage with the deaf and hard of hearing community—and challenged them to do so. She reminded attendees that the business of social work is human connection, that learning is a community act, and that a community's work must be centrally connected to cultural understanding. 

Sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work, the Futures Plenary explores forward-looking perspectives on issues and challenges facing the social work profession in years to come.

CSWE President and CEO Halaevalu Vakalahi shared a sneak peek at the organization's plans for commemorating its 75th Diamond Anniversary in 2027, including some ambitious and critically-needed fundraising efforts. 

"Philanthropy is about building a community of trust and shared values and constructing the future—not just simply raising money," Vakalahi said. "Long after this campaign closes, the things that we built will still be here, and your names will be attached to creating them."

She unveiled what will be known as the "Diamond Cuts" investment opportunities. These include a CSWE Mentorship Lab to support and cultivate faculty and student talent and advancement, a Leadership Development Fund to support leadership training and resources through the Harvard Management Development Program, and the establishment of a Carl A. Scott Memorial Fund Endowment to honor the legacy and continue the work begun by the legendary social work leader. 

"Right now, we are in the discovery phase," Vakalahi said. "We have aspirations and stretch goals—and as we move ahead and know better, we will adjust accordingly. But we are confident this endeavor will raise the profile of CSWE, our important work, and expand and deepen the community who will invest in our futures."

CSWE's 2026 Annual Conference ended with the presentation of the organization's Professional Awards.

The winner of CSWE's Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education was Dr. Elaine Congress of Fordham University. Dr. Congress began her career serving as a counselor at a Brooklyn mental health clinic, primarily caring for recently arrived immigrants. She has spent the past three decades teaching at Fordham, with courses in clinical, family-oriented, supervisory, and macro social work. A prolific scholarly writer, Dr. Congress has authored more than a dozen books on social work ethics, migration, nonprofit leadership, health, international issues, and social work education. 

Dr. April Lavette Jones of Alabama A&M University took home the Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award. Dr. Jones is a nationally engaged social work educator, organizational psychologist, licensed master social worker, scholar, and higher education leader whose work advances innovation, equity, and excellence in social work education.

The Early Career Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award went to Dr. Saltanat Childress of the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work. Childress's scholarship focuses on the prevention of interpersonal violence and adverse childhood experiences across the lifespan, particularly among immigrant, refugee, and underserved populations in the United States and low- and middle-income countries. 

Dr. Patricia Welch Saleeby of Bradley University won the Established Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award. Saleeby is a leading expert on disability in social work, recognized internationally for her work promoting the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in social work and the application of the Capability Approach as an alternative framework for better situating disability. 

The Field Education/Practicum Excellence in Innovation Award was presented to the University of Montana School of Social Work's Field Education Program. Led by Director Kat Werner, LCSW, MSW, the program was honored for it's relationship-centered, place-bound, and justice-oriented model of practicum education.

The Annual Awards Luncheon was sponsored by the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Additionally, the conference is where CSWE bestows its Commissions and Council Awards and Annual Conference Location Awards. 

The Partners in Advancing International Education (PIE) Awards were presented to Dr. Cudore L. Snell, the study abroad students at the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work, and the UArctic Thematic Network on Social Work.

The Commissions and Councils award winners included:

The conference Location Awards recognize the extraordinary impact of local leaders and organizations in the host city for our Annual Conference. CSWE honors the awardees' exceptional leadership within their communities and the significant impact of these organizations at local, national, and global levels.

This year's winners are:

The first draft of the 2029 EPAS was a central topic of CSWE26. The draft and the environmental scan that shaped it were released a little more than a week before the start of the conference, kicking off a public review and comment period. Conference participants had a chance to engage with members of the Joint Writing Committee, the Commission on Educational Policy (COEP), and the Board of Accreditation at two EPAS roundtable events and an EPAS information session. 

Attendees were at times very passionate in their feedback—both critical and supportive—during these events and others at Annual Conference. The feedback, captured via CSWE's EPAS draft survey, was greatly appreciated and will inform the second draft of the 2029 EPAS—to be delivered in 2027. 

CSWE will provide continuing updates on the process of developing the 2029 EPAS, which will continue into 2027 and 2028 with additional opportunities to provide commentary and feedback.

CSWE's 73rd Annual Conference—and the culmination of the organization's 75th anniversary year—will take place on October 21-24, 2027, at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA.

Next year's theme—Rooted in Resilience: Reaffirming the Purpose of Social Work Education—invites the social work education community to explore and examine the fundamental principles at the root of our profession and to deepen our commitment to its future.

Registration is scheduled to open during the first week of May, 2027, but early birds can RSVP at this link. Those interested in sponsoring the 2027 Annual Conference can contact Eric Gordon at [email protected].