CSWE Announces 2026 Professional Award Recipients

News

Published on : June 1, 2026

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 CSWE Professional Awards. These awards are among CSWE’s highest honors and recognize outstanding educators for significant contributions to social work education. The awards will be presented at CSWE’s 72nd Annual Conference on October 22-25, 2026, in Atlanta, GA. 

This year's 2026 Professional Award winners are: 

Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education Award: Elaine Congress, DSW, MSSW, MA, LCSW  

Dr. Congress is a professor and associate dean at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service in New York City. She began her career serving as a counselor at a Brooklyn mental health clinic, primarily caring for recently arrived immigrants. Dr. Congress has spent the past three decades teaching at Fordham, with courses in clinical, family-oriented, supervisory, and macro social work. Her recent teaching has helped MSW students develop skills in high-level international engagement and conference planning. 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. She has also held leadership roles with the National Association of Social Workers, the United Nations, and national health organizations. 

Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award: April Lavette Jones, PhD, MEd, MS, LMSW, MSW, BA

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. She serves at Bellevue University as Associate Professor and Director of Field/Practicum Experience, bringing expertise in online learning, field education, accreditation alignment, instructional design, and technology-enhanced student success. Prior to joining Bellevue University, Dr. Jones served at Tuskegee University from July 2018 to February 2026, including as Department Head/Chair of Social Work, and earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2024. Her leadership strengthened curriculum, faculty development, accreditation readiness, field education infrastructure, student support systems, and online program growth. 
 

Early Career Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award: Saltanat Childress, PhD, MSW

Dr. Childress is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work. Her 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. Her work integrates prevention science, implementation science, and community-engaged research to address child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, family stress, and mental health disparities through culturally responsive, multilevel interventions. Dr. Childress currently serves as Principal Investigator of an NIH/NICHD-funded career development award focused on adapting and implementing evidence-based family and school interventions in Kyrgyzstan. She also serves in leadership roles within the Society for Prevention Research and is deeply committed to mentoring students and advancing excellence in social work education. 
 

Established Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award: Patricia Welch Saleeby, PhD, MSSA, BA

Dr. Saleeby is a professor and program director of social work at Bradley University. She 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. She is currently a collaborating member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Education and Implementation Committee for international classifications and WHO Functioning and Disability Reference Group. Another area of Dr. Saleeby’s scholarship focuses on her efforts to bridge curriculum gaps between education and practice to better prepare social work students. With her background in non-profit management and social administration, she has been an advocate for integrating grant writing and fundraising into social work education. Her work has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and books across various disciplines. She has presented at over 50 national and international meetings. For over 15 years, she has served in social work leadership including the Council on Social Work Education Board of Directors, Commission for Diversity and Social and Economic Justice, the Commission on Global Social Work Education, the Diversity Center Task Force, and the Environmental Justice Competency Task Force. 
 

Field Education/Practicum Excellence in Innovation Award: University of Montana School of Social Work

The University of Montana School of Social Work's Field Education Program led by Director Kat Werner, LCSW, MSW—has developed a relationship-centered, place-bound, and justice-oriented model of practicum education designed to expand equitable access to social work education across Montana, the broader Rocky Mountain West, and geographically isolated communities. 

Serving a vast, largely rural, and significantly Indigenous region, the program is grounded in a simple but profound commitment: students should not have to leave their communities to become social workers. The program has intentionally developed flexible and community-responsive field education pathways that allow students to remain rooted in their home communities while engaging in meaningful, competency-based learning. Through partnerships with tribal and rural colleges, community agencies, Agency Field Instructors, outside supervisors, and remote service organizations, the program strengthens local communities, workforce capacity, and justice-oriented social work education. 

CSWE’s 72nd Annual Conference takes place October 22 through 25 at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Click here to register for the conference and book your lodging today! 


Founded in 1952, CSWE is the national association representing social work education in the United States. Its members include more than 900 accredited baccalaureate, master’s, and practice doctorate degree social work programs and their affiliated social work educators, students, and staff, as well as practitioners and agencies dedicated to advancing quality social work education. Through its many initiatives, activities, and centers, CSWE supports quality social work education and provides opportunities for leadership and professional development so that social workers are empowered to play a central role in achieving the profession’s goals of social and economic justice. CSWE’s Board of Accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States and its territories.