Dean Alford named NASW Social Work Pioneer

By Matthew Biddle

Keith A. Alford, dean of the School of Social Work, is set to receive one of social work’s highest honors.

In June, Alford will be inducted by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as an NASW Social Work Pioneer. The program honors social workers who have enriched their profession and improved social and human conditions through their dedication, commitment and determination.

Alford has devoted his professional life to serving and researching the needs of children and families. He studies culturally specific service delivery for special populations, family mental health, rites of passage programming for adolescent African American males, kinship care and child welfare interventions.

Central to Alford’s leadership philosophy is the idea that “to be trauma-informed, one has to be racially informed.” As dean, he is steering the integration of racial trauma into the school’s established trauma-informed and human rights framework.

“I am deeply grateful for this recognition,” he says. “As social workers, we know our mission is to uplift others and to continually strive toward improving the human condition. This honor renews my resolve to stay the course. Our work is never finished, and our determination must remain steadfast.”