Partners in Advancing International Education-Individual, Organization, and Student Awards
The CSWE Commission on Global Social Work Education is pleased to announce the 20th annual Partners in Advancing International Education (PIE) Awards program, honoring the contribution of social work faculty members, social work students (BSW, MSW, or PhD), and organizations as partners in advancing education for global social work. The PIE awards are given in recognition of conceptual, curricular, and programmatic innovations in education for global social work. All nominations must be U.S.-based actively working on global issues.
The PIE Awards presentation will precede the Hokenstad International Lecture at the 2025 CSWE Annual Conference in Denver, CO.
Eligible Recipients
Up to three awards are given annually, one for each of the following categories of contributors to education for international social work.
- Social work faculty member (current members of the Commission on Global Education and those who are within a year of completing their term on this Commission are not eligible to apply for the award).
- Social work students or student group (BSW, MSW, or PhD level; social work graduates within 2 years of graduation, relative to the timing of the annual conference, are eligible to apply).
- Local (annual conference host city), national, or international organizations.
CSWE membership is an eligibility requirement for all commission and council awards. To check your membership status, or link your membership your social work program visit https://www.cswe.org/membership and click Link to Program/Join CSWE.
PIE Individual Award
Please join us in celebrating the 2025 Partners in Advancing International Education (PIE) Individual Awardee: Dr. Ann Pertrila, MSW, MPA.
Ann Petrila, MSW, MPA
Professor of Practice, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work
Professor Ann Petrila is the Coordinator of Global Initiatives, the Global Social Work Certificate, and Global Practice Bosnia at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Her publications include the book Voices from Srebrenica: Survivor Narratives of the Bosnian Genocide, a chapter entitled Rethinking community rebuilding through cultural humility in the book In This World Together: Global Social Work and Social Development, and an article in Advances in Social Work entitled Everyone’s War Becomes my War: The far-reaching impact of the invasion of Ukraine. She is the co-developer and author of the Oral History Guidelines for the Srebrenica Memorial Center. Areas of expertise include global cultural perspectives, cumulative and collective trauma, crimes against humanity, genocide and oral histories. She created an educational documentary entitled The World Speaks and We Listen, which elevates the voices of war and genocide survivors from Bosnia who have wisdom to share with U.S. students of social work. She annually leads an experiential Bosnia-based course and internship program and has brought over 300 graduate students to Bosnia. She presents extensively both domestically and internationally on the Bosnian genocide. Prior to joining the University of Denver faculty, she was the Coordinator of Social Work at the Denver Children’s Hospital and co-directed the Child Protection Team there. She worked in various roles at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, where she also taught in the School of Medicine’s Genetic Counseling Program.
PIE Organization Award
Please join us in celebrating the 2025 Partners in Advancing International Education (PIE) Organization Awardee: Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA).
Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA)
Founded in 2008, the Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA) is a U.S.-based, volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities, through education, empowerment, and social justice. Guided by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s principles—Educate, Agitate, Organize - AANA implements high-impact programs addressing systemic inequities across India and globally. AANA’s flagship initiatives include scholarships, laptop and bicycle donations, and school infrastructure support in underserved regions. It promotes digital literacy, boosts school retention—especially for girls—and nurtures future leaders from tribal and indigenous communities. Through library donations, it spreads awareness of Ambedkarite thought, enriching global discourse on caste, justice, and equity. The organization funds caste-justice documentaries, offers foreign language training for global employability, and supports community health, including sickle cell screening and nutrition programs. AANA’s COVID-19 relief and advocacy for anti-caste legislation in the U.S. (e.g., SB403, Seattle Ordinance) underscore its leadership in both emergency response and systemic change. Women’s empowerment is central, with self-defense and civic workshops for women and girls. AANA’s annual retreat fosters community solidarity and youth leadership within the South Asian diaspora. Operating through chapters in major U.S. cities, including Denver, AANA channels over 99% of donations directly into its programs. Its international partnerships and grassroots-driven approach make it a powerful agent of transformation.
PIE Student Award
Finau Rabuka-Conklin, MSW
Doctoral Candidate at the University of Utah, College of Social Work
Finau Rabuka-Conklin is an Indigenous Fijian third-year doctoral student at the University of Utah College of Social Work. With over a decade of experience teaching Indigenous Fijian language and social work in higher education, she is deeply committed to advancing Pacific Islander education and youth leadership. She is currently developing an interdisciplinary research team to support Pacific Islander-centered scholarship and continues to mentor undergraduates pursuing research and graduate education. Since earning her MSW in 2008, Finau has held both direct practice and leadership roles, including serving as Director of Early Head Start and as a board member for the Utah Head Start Association. She was appointed by Utah’s governor to the Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs and served on the advisory board for a Department of Education–funded initiative supporting interdisciplinary training in early childhood mental health. Finau has also served as a project coordinator and cultural liaison with U.S.-based interdisciplinary research teams to address mental health stigma and expand culturally informed care in Fiji. She contributed to mental health research in 2021 and collaborated with healthcare providers and nonprofits in 2024 to deliver board-certified wound care training in Fiji. She led community outreach and hospital-based clinical sessions, reflecting the values of community-led social work practice. Her dissertation focuses on historical trauma and its impact on Pacific Islanders’ mental health disparities. She hopes to build pathways where research, education, and empowerment intersect globally.