2023 Virtual Legislative Education and Advocacy Day

Thursday, October 19, 2023

9am - 5:30pm

VIRTUAL | 6.5 CE Credits

NASW Michigan is committed to working across sectors and advocating policies, legislation, and programs that promote justice and racial justice. 2023 LEAD is a day-long conference that educates 800-1000 social workers from across the state on the most critical and current issues in the field.

We at NASW-MI want to think broadly and lay a vision for the future of social work. We want to reimagine this field, and continue to work towards the day when individuals and communities have equitable resources. One, where policies, laws, and institutions do not exploit, oppress or further perpetuate harm. However, we cannot do this alone. We need incoming social work professionals and students like you with bold visions to help lead the way!

NASW Student Members, Retired Members, and Transitional Members - $30

Student Future-Members - $45

NASW Members - $80, Future-Members - $100

***Students: Please verify with your school prior to registering individually***

Schools that are registering a group of students may this excel sheet.

Please email dhaskin.naswmi@socialworkers.org if you have any questions.

2023 LEAD Schedule

9:00-9:30am. Welcome & Announcements

9:30-10:30am. Social Work Advocacy in Michigan: Ethics in Action (1 Ethics CE)

Presented by Sheryl Kubiak, Ph.D. (Dean, Wayne State University SSW); Noah Smith (Lobbyist, Capitol Services); Melina Brann, LMSW-Clinical (Director of Policy and Advocacy, NASW-MI)

10:40-12pm. Morning Breakouts (1.5 CEs)

Choose One

- Book Bans and Censorship: Whose Voices are We Silencing? (1.5 Implicit Bias Credits)

  Presented by Deborah Mikula, Michigan Library Association

- Prepping for the 2024 Election: Voter Registration & the Social Work Code of Ethics (1.5 Ethics Credits)

  Presented by Emily Campanella, MSW, Healthy Democracy Campaign Manager

- Criminal Legal Reform and Decarceration Work (1.5 Implicit Bias Credits)

  Presented by Allan Wachendorfer, MSW, Vera Institute for Justice

12-12:30pm. Speed Networking/Break

12:30-1:50pm. Where Politics, the Law, and Social Work Ethics Collide (1.5 Ethics CEs)

Presented by Gabrielle Dresner, Policy Strategist, American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan

2:00pm-3:20pm. Afternoon Breakouts (1.5 CEs)

Choose One

- Social Workers in in Political Environments  (1.5 General Credits)

  Presented by Justin Hodge, LMSW-Clinical and Macro, Washtenaw County Commissioner & Matt Dargay, MSW, Michigan House of Representatives

- Kids Count: Health Disparities in Michigan (1.5 Implicit Bias Credits)

  Presented by Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Policy Director, Michigan League for Public Policy

- Emerging Technology in Social Work: Chat GPT and Artificial Intelligence (1.5 Ethics Credits)

  Presented by Brian Perron, PhD, MSW University of Michigan & Bryan Victor, PhD, MSW, Wayne State University

3:30pm-4:30pm. Trans Bans & Furthering Justice in a “Safe State” (1 Implicit Bias CE)

Presented by Emme Zanotti, Equality Michigan & Dakota Torolski, The Human Rights Campaign

4:30pm-5:30pm. Career & Resource Fair

Confirmed Exhibitors

Sponsorship & Exhibiting

The 2023 LEAD is a cost-effective way to reach potential customers, students, and future employees, as well as to support the state's 30,000 social workers and 6,500 students. You will connect with qualified decision-makers and engage in direct communication that provides for an immediate exchange of information and questions. Please click here to review all of the sponsorship details.

LEAD Champion - $4,000

• Acknowledgement during LEAD announcements
• Listing in The Bridge newsletter and on chapter website
• Acknowledgement pinned to chat section of platform 
• Up to four complimentary conference registrations
• Virtual conference exhibit table
• 30-60 second welcome video to be show during opening announcements
• Ability to include content in three chapter email blasts throughout the year (a reach of nearly 6,000 social workers per email)
• 3 sponsored posts to chapter Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout the year
• One year of a linked banner image on the NASW-Michigan website homepage
• This sponsorship level includes a $500 donation to the Student Leadership in Diversity Scholarship Fund (funds one full scholarship)
  

Technology Sponsor - $1,500

• Acknowledgement during LEAD announcements
• Listing in The Bridge newsletter and on chapter website
• Acknowledgement pinned to chat section of platform 
• Ability to include content in one chapter email blast throughout the year (a reach of nearly 6,000 social workers)
• 2 sponsored post to chapter Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout the year
• Up to two complimentary conference registrations
• Virtual conference exhibit table
  
  

Advocacy Partner- $500

• Acknowledgement during announcements
• Listing in The Bridge newsletter and on chapter website
• 1 sponsored post to chapter Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout the year
• Acknowledgement pinned to chat section of platform 
• One complimentary conference registration
• Virtual conference exhibit table

Virtual Exhibitor - $100

• Listing on the exhibitor section of the conference platform, which will be viewable throughout the day
• Ability to include up to two handouts
• May include a video message (or standing image/graphic)
• Ability for attendees to submit their contact information for further information or follow up
• A live virtual exhibitor booth from 4:30-5:30pm where you can interact directly with conference attendees

Please contact Danielle at dhaskin.naswmi@socialworkers.org to sponsor or exhibit! Please click here to review all of the 2023 LEAD sponsorship details.

Speaker Bios

Anne Kuhnen, MPA, MsE

Kids Count Policy Director, Michigan League for Public Policy

Prior to joining the Kids Count team, she served as the League’s tax policy analyst where her research focused on policies to make Michigan’s tax code more equitable for workers, families, and communities. Anne began her career in education, teaching high school math and computer science in Kentucky and later supporting a bilingual vocational program in the Netherlands. She holds a B.A. from the University of Texas, a Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins, and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton, where she concentrated in Economic and Public Policy.

Fatima Salman, LLMSW

President, NASW-Michigan Board of Directors

She is the host of "Between the Lines with Fatima Salman" on 910 AM Superstation, a local radio talk show in metro Detroit. The focus of the show is to combat stereotypes and Islamophobic rhetoric and to give a platform to those marginalized communities not typically given a voice in media. Fatima Salman serves on several local, regional, and national boards. She serves as the Education and Youth Chair on the MMCC, Michigan Muslim Community Council, as the Youth Committee Advisor for MYNA, as a board member at The Children's Center in Detroit, and on the Community Advisory Panel for DPTV. She is a fellow at Women’s Media Center’s Progressive Women’s Voices 2016, Leadership Detroit 38, and Emerge- Michigan 2017.

Gabrielle Dresner, MSW

Policy Strategist, ACLU-Michigan

Gabrielle Dresner, MSW, joined the ACLU of Michigan as a Policy Strategist in July 2022. Prior to joining the ACLU of Michigan, Gabrielle worked for a youth justice advocacy organization as a Policy Associate. Throughout her career, she has been successful in advocating for the passage of legislation to streamline expungements for juvenile records and securing funding for community-based alternatives to incarceration. Her current work focuses on civil liberties, criminal legal reform, and protecting the privacy of Michigan residents from technological overreach.  Outside of her paid work, Gabrielle spends her time running, playing with her dog, or working on her latest embroidery project.

Matt Dargay, MSW

Legislative Director, State Representative Sharon MacDonell

Matt serves as the Legislative Director for State Representative Sharon MacDonell, a position he has held since January of 2023. He is also managing city council campaigns in Troy. Matt completed his Masters of Policy and Political Social Work from the University of Michigan in 2022, during which he founded Payment for Placements (P4P), a nationwide student movement calling for more paid field placement opportunities for social work students, and served as Student Representative for the NASW of Michigan.

Melina Brann, LLMSW-Clinical

Director of Public Policy, National Association of Social Workers - Michigan Chapter

Melina Brann is the Director of Public Policy of the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Prior to this role, Melina served for over three years as the Executive Director of the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing. In that role, Melina ensured services were provided through an intersectional lens, developed and launched an advocacy branch surrounding women’s rights, and increased grant funding by 300%. Melina also spent two years as a hospice social worker and one year as an inpatient crisis counselor.

Noah Smith

Partner, Capitol Services, Inc.

Noah brings the Capitol Services team extensive legislative experience in criminal justice, behavioral health, judiciary, schools, and appropriations. He has been named among the most effective multi-client lobbyists in Lansing by MIRS News. Noah also served as Area Executive Director for the American Cancer Society Capital Area Service Center. He holds a degree from Grand Valley State University and served for eight years in the U.S. Marines.