WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Social Workers, the NASW Foundation, and the Maine Chapter of NASW is thrilled to announce Rep. Lydia Crafts of Maine as the recipient of the prestigious 2024 “Social Worker of the Year” award. This esteemed award honors a member of the National Association of Social Workers who exemplifies the best of the profession’s values and achievements through specific accomplishments. In honoring the Social Worker of the Year, NASW highlights and celebrates superb accomplishments in the practice of social work.
Crafts has been chosen for her outstanding dedication to social justice, her innovative legislative initiatives, and her unwavering commitment to the health and welfare of the most vulnerable populations in Maine.
As a licensed clinical social worker and a distinguished member of the Maine House of Representatives serving District 46 (which includes the communities of Bristol, Damariscotta, Monhegan Plantation, Newcastle, and a part of Nobleboro), Crafts has utilized her expertise, her platform, and her passion to advocate for policies that support, among other things, behavioral health care workforce development and access issues, educational reform, and economic justice. Crafts serves as the House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources. Her recent notable legislative achievements include the introduction of the Social Work Interstate Licensing Compact, amending the Social Work Education Loan Repayment Program, the repeal of limitations on social workers’ ability to diagnose certain mental illnesses, and the establishment of programming to enhance behavioral health supports for students in public schools as well as for supports for individuals with substance use disorder.
“Representative Craft’s accomplishments reflect the core social work values espoused in the NASW Code of Ethic: those of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. It’s clear that her actions both as an elected official and as a clinical social worker have benefited so many all across Maine”, said NASW Maine Executive Director Chris McLaughlin, MSW, LCSW. “She is a true champion for the underserved, oppressed, stigmatized, and marginalized.”
Crafts will join the other award recipients for recognition of their achievements at the NASW National Conference scheduled for June 19-22 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC. The full list of award winners is as follows:
• Emerging Social Work Leader: Olymphia O’Neale White, DSW (AZ)
• Social Worker of The Year: Rep. Lydia Craft, LCSW (ME)
• Lifetime Achievement: Richard L. Edwards, PhD, MA (NY)
• Public Citizen of The Year: Cynthia Herrera, JD (TX)
• Public Official of The Year: Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes, City of Austin (TX)
NASW invites members of the media, the social work community, and the public to join us in celebrating Rep. Crafts’ achievements at this year’s conference.
For questions, please contact NASW at [email protected] or NASW ME Executive Director [email protected].
The National Association of Social Workers is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.