NASW Idaho 2017 Elections

NASW Idaho 2017 Ballot

Thank you for taking time to vote for your future leaders of the NASW Idaho Chapter. To vote, you must be a current member of the NASW Idaho Chapter and enter your NASW membership number below. If you don't know your membership number, please refer to your NASW membership card or recent NASW correspondence. You may also call the National office at 1-800-742-4089 during office hours from 7am-7pm mountain time.

Please read the candidate statements for each position before voting.

You may only vote once and must enter a valid NASW membership number for the purpose of determining eligibility.

Board of Directors: All chapter members vote for the President Elect, 2nd Vice President, Secretary and BSW Student Representative.

To view a map of the chapter's branches/regions, go to http://www.naswidaho.org/leadership/chapter_leadership.htm

Voting deadline is September 8, 2017 at 12PM Mountain.

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* 1. Membership Number

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* 2. President- Elect

Shannan Brimmer

My name is Shannan Brimmer, I am a licensed clinical social worker for the Boise VA Medical Center. As a licensed clinician in Idaho, I believe that it's important to advocate for the clients and communities we serve. As president elect of NASW, my vision is to use this position to do exactly this. Idahoans are currently doing more with less, and need a voice to help support fellow social workers in Idaho. I hope to grow NASW membership in Idaho, and be a listening ear to the members. In the current political climate, we need someone to listen more than ever, and to stand up when it counts.

Shannan Brimmer, LCSW, CCM, C-SWHC, has 10 years of experience in inpatient and outpatient health care settings. She is currently employed for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a PCMHI therapist integrating video technology to rural veterans in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Shannan has also worked part time for St. Luke's Health System for the past 10 years. She has held three positions on the NASW Idaho Board, including Vice President, Capital Branch Chair, and Member at Large. She has volunteered her time with: Ada County Board of Community Guardians, Camp Rainbow Gold, and Garden City Community Clinic, Faith and Humanity Medical Missions, Yes Idaho Donate Life. She holds current certifications in medical social work, case management (CCM), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and Motivational Interviewing.

Whitney Price

My name is Whitney Price, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) at a Therapeutic Boys Boarding School. As a social worker I am a firm believer in advocating, serving, client self-determination and quality of life for all. As President Elect of NASW, I envision and plan on continuing to promote quality and equality for all. In this position I plan to expand Idaho social works with knowledge of how NASW can help them complete their career goals. I am hopeful to grow Idaho's NASW membership and ensure each member understands the benefits and utilizes the benefits of NASW. As social worker, I understand we all are in this field to serve others and I would like to help each and everyone of you to have access to NASW to better serve yourself and your clients. I am willing to stand strong on the most difficult political topics are nation is now facing. With your support I hope to serve you all with leadership, grace, dignity and stand up for all.

Whitney received her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Sports and Exercise Science from Boise State University. She then went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska. She is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, as well as, is a Board Member for the Idaho Chapter of National Association of Social Workers. Whitney enjoys being part of NASW and supporting the larger goals of social workers, as well as, ensuring social work is a regular part of the legislation.

Whitney has worked in various social work arenas including adoption, skilled nursing facilities, mental health, substance use, medical hospitals, grief and bereavement, and end-of-life. She is committed to fostering hope and healing through the therapeutic relationship with each client and their family. Each client is a unique individual in their own life journey, and she tailors the therapeutic relationship towards individual needs and concerns. Whitney uses a wide variety of therapeutic interventions to meet the needs of each individual, such as, narrative therapy, play therapy, behavioral modification, cognitive behavioral therapy and widely utilizes a strengths based perspective. She continues to expand her range of knowledge and practice through integration of new concepts and thoroughly enjoys learning new skills. Whitney is excited to provide assistance to clients and families through their life journey.

Whitney enjoys spending her time with her spouse and their two dogs, as well as, extended family. She is an amateur photographer with a passion for capturing life though a photo lens. Whitney dabbles in archery, many outdoor recreational activities, traveling, volunteering and DIY home improvement projects.

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* 3. 2nd Vice President of Budget and Finance

Joe Seiders

My name is Joe Seiders and I am an LCSW in private practice in Boise, Idaho. I have been a card-carrying member of the NASW since Delmar came to my class as a guest speaker when I was a college student getting my undergraduate degree in social work almost 10 years ago. I am very interested in the open position, and I have a strong desire to become more involved with the NASW. I believe I have a lot of valuable experience that I bring to the table and have always had a strong passion for serving others. I have understanding for leadership positions and take the responsibilities associated with them seriously. I am a team player and do well working with others to accomplish common goals. I ask for this opportunity to serve as 2nd Vice President of Budget and Finance here in Idaho. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions about my experience or motivations, as I would be happy to go into further detail.

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* 4. Secretary

Sarah Kearney

After graduating with a MSW degree in 2003, I have worked continuously in the field of Social Work, holding a variety of positions that have allowed me to gain a depth of experience. Since 2003, I have worked with families involved in high conflict custody and divorce cases, served as Domestic Violence Court Coordinator for Ada County Domestic Violence Court, served as a clinician for the Dept. of Health and Welfare with Child Protection Cases, acted as a mental health clinician in an emergency room and inpatient psychiatric facility, conducted outreach and assessment with veterans experiencing homelessness and most recently provided the role of Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist with the Dept. of Veteran Affairs. In all of these positions, I have worked with a multi-disciplinary team, often being the only social worker present in the decision making process for cases. In all of these environments, I have advocated for the needs of clients, holding closely the NASW Code of Ethics. In addition, I have felt it important to educate other professions as to why these values are critical in serving clients effectively. Providing the lone voice of social work values has been challenging at times, however, it has been instrumental in ensuring that clients have been provided dignity, respect and a right to self-determination. Challenging social norms and expectations that are in conflict with the values social workers hold is our utmost duty and responsibility.

My goal in serving as Secretary of NASW Idaho is to increase opportunities for social workers to effectively advocate for the populations we serve. My hope is to increase our voice with public policy makers to ensure that legislation and policies on the local, state and national levels are in alignment with social work values and principles. My strength is in engaging diverse populations and I hope to do this by providing increased educational opportunities and support networks for the social work community to further the mission and values of the field.

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* 5. Inland Empire (Coeur d'Alene)

Kateri Ray

Diversity is ever-present in our global society. Respect for and promotion of diversity is core to social work practice on all levels. As a professional social worker, I am committed to working at the micro, mezzo and macro levels to promote celebration of diversity. One of the ways I do this is to frequently “check in” with myself and my practice to critically examine my assumptions and push myself to seek opportunities to include various forms of diversity in a positive way.
I have a track record for demonstrating organizational skills. I have served in community leadership positions and have completed my PhD.
My practice experience includes social work at the micro, mezzo and macro levels with a variety of populations.

Question Title

* 6. Inland Empire (Lewiston)

Brian Christenson

My name is Brian Christenson and I am happy to continue to run for the Idaho NASW Chapter Board of Directors serving our region. Currently I hold this position and have been the MSW student representative, Regional Representative, Chapter Vice President, President Elect, and Chapter President over my fourteen years of experience serving you and the NASW Idaho Chapter Board of Directors. I believe in a strong social work presence that includes service, advocacy, outreach, training, and social justice upholding our professional social work values and ethical principles. Thank you for considering me for this position as I continue to serve the Idaho Chapter NASW Board of Directors and you.

Bio: Dr. Brian L. Christenson, Ph.D., LMSW, LGSW, CAP. Dr. Christenson is the Department of Social Work Program Chair leading a National Doctorate of Social Work Program and Masters in Social Work Programs at Capella University based out of Minneapolis delivering high quality online and hybrid programs in all 50 states nationally and currently in more than 13 Nations. Previously he served as a professor in the social work program at Lewis-Clark State College for ten years and eight years in the MSW program at Boise State University. Dr. Christenson has served the NASW Idaho membership and the social work community for over fourteen years serving in various roles as outlined above. Dr. Christenson serves on the Social Work Educational Assessment Program Board of Directors, a Non-Profit Organization that develops and delivers social work higher education outcomes assessments for program nationally that more than five-hundred schools utilize nationally. Dr. Christenson has a plethora of published articles related to child welfare and social work outcomes assessment and is currently working on a national programs of research initiative. Additionally, Dr. Christenson has fourteen years of professional social work practice teaching in social work higher education and in Child Welfare Practice. He maintains a part-time independent adoption practice serving Idaho and Washington States.

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* 7. Southeast Branch Representative

No Candidate

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* 8. MSW Student Representative

No Candidate

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* 9. BSW Student Representative

Erik Larson

My name is Erik Larson and I hope to be the 2017-2018 BSW students representative for NASW’s Idaho chapter. Before moving to Idaho in 2010, I spent my previous life in the pacific west coast, the northeast, the south, and the southwest. Moving every 2-3 years was at times challenging and has given me a unique perspective of our country and of Idaho. After moving to Idaho, I have involved myself with many diverse populations and setting such as, (1) the public school system, (2) residential treatment, (3) homeless youth and adults, (4) the medical setting, (5) and participated in many volunteer experiences. Many of these settings were quite difficult and all were humbling. Over the years I have built organizational skills that I believe qualify me to be the BSW representative. I acted as an activities coordinator for at-risk teenagers, owned my own business, and I maintain a 4.0 in all of my social work classes. I am pleased to be a part of the social work field and I am pleased to participate in the many events and activities that are associated with social work. In the past year, a colleague and I placed 1st in the BSW advocacy day’s competition and we were both pleased to accept the award with such difficult competitors across the state of Idaho. My personal interest is working with at-risk youth and young adults but I cannot help but feel empathy toward all at-risk and vulnerable populations. If elected, I will seek to increase student membership in NASW and increase student involvement in the annual advocacy day’s annual event as I carry out my obligations as the BSW student representative.

Margarita Alcaraz

Being a senior social work student at Northwest Nazarene University, I have had many opportunities that have helped me not only grow but have skills, I feel would be beneficial and would make me a great candidate, to work on the board as a BSW Representative. I have held many leadership positions at NNU from being a Resident Assistant for freshmen girls to working in the admissions office helping prospective students start their college journey. Having this leadership experience at my school has made me crave more leadership within our social work department.

I currently am serving as a 3rd District Guardian ad Litem and getting to work with not only social workers but fellow students who also have a passion for helping families in foster care. I feel that with this role I not only get to see the need the families all over the valley have for help, but also discover the resources that are available to assist them in.

I also volunteer and work with Camp Rainbow Gold. Camp Rainbow Gold is a camp that is dedicated to helping families affected by childhood cancer. I collaborate with the parents, siblings, and child that is diagnosed with cancer in helping them see that there is hope in fighting their illness and that they are alone. I have not only gained skills to be able to work with all different ages groups of people, but to also get thrown into stressful, time sensitive situations and make a great outcome with limited resources.

I would love the opportunity to serve as a BSW Representative for Idaho. For me, it would not only be an incredible experience to make meaningful connections and see a bigger picture outside of my surrounding area but to be able to help create more leadership within social work for our community.