Professor Karen Bullock. Photo by Caitlin Cunningham for BC Photography.
Karen Bullock, the Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor at the Boston College School of Social Work, has been elected president of the National Association of Social Workers.
She will begin a three-year term as president on July 1, leading the nation’s largest membership organization of professional social workers.
Bullock, who has held leadership roles within NASW for more than 35 years, says she’s assuming the presidency at a pivotal moment for social work, as the need for social workers grows and the profession works to reaffirm its role in addressing society’s most pressing challenges.
As president, she plans to use her leadership position to bolster the social work workforce, reinforce professional standards, and expand member engagement. She also wants to help social workers strengthen their collective voice as they confront increasingly complex problems facing individuals, families, and communities.
“We need social workers now, more than ever, to go where others refuse to go, which is usually on the frontlines,” says Bullock, whose scholarship and practice have focused on advancing equitable hospice and palliative care for older adults and individuals with serious illnesses. “We need to go equipped with knowledge, skills, and the understanding of what sets us apart from other disciplines.”
Bullock wants to ensure social workers have the support and resources they need to tackle the biggest challenges facing communities today. She aims to advance the profession by supporting social workers at every stage of their careers while reinforcing the standards and ethics that guide practice.
Bullock believes NASW can help social workers “reclaim their power and purpose” by highlighting the profession’s unique contributions to health and well-being through its person-in-environment approach.
Her argument reflects social work’s broad reach. Social workers are the nation’s largest group of mental health service providers, according to NASW, outnumbering psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses combined.
“I hope my leadership will be the change that moves NASW forward as a resource for all social workers, whether they are micro-, mezzo-, or macro-level practitioners,” says Bullock. “My goal is to find common ground and create space for us to show up authentically, with passion and purpose to lead in the struggle to continue promoting social justice and human dignity as core values of our profession.”
“ I hope my leadership will be the change that moves NASW forward as a resource for all social workers, whether they are micro-, mezzo-, or macro-level practitioners. My goal is to find common ground and create space for us to show up authentically, with passion and purpose to lead in the struggle to continue promoting social justice and human dignity as core values of our profession. ”
Beyond supporting individual practitioners, Bullock sees NASW as social work’s chief advocate. She says the organization represents its members as well as the broader social work community, working to uphold professional standards, amplify social workers’ voices, and promote policies that support the communities they serve.
“If I do not have a seat at the table, I cannot ‘be the change I want to see,’” says Bullock. “I must work from the inside out, joining the forces that impact change.”
Bullock views her election as a responsibility rather than an achievement. Her appointment follows years of service to NASW, during which she served as president of the organization’s Connecticut Chapter, chaired several national committees, and helped shape the profession’s cultural competence and hospice and palliative care practice standards.
Bullock credits Mit Joyner, who served as NASW’s president from July 2020 through June 2023, with encouraging her to pursue the role. She describes Joyner as a “professional coach” who recognized her leadership potential and believed she had the knowledge and compassion needed to guide the profession.
Before her death in 2023, Joyner asked Bullock to promise that she would continue serving NASW.
“She saw things in me that I could not see in myself,” says Bullock. “Her belief in me is what motivated me to agree to be nominated and serve in this new leadership role.”
