Editor’s Note: Goodbye and Hello
By Kate Jackson
Social Work Today
Vol. 22 No. 4 P. 4

If you’re a regular reader of this magazine, you may be expecting to see a different face here. After more than 20 years of stellar service to the company, Lee DeOrio has chosen to explore new talents in retirement. I wish him the best in that uncharted territory, and I’m confident that after he’s had a much-deserved break, social service will remain a core theme in his life in one fashion or another. I’m grateful to Lee for his guidance and example, and I’m thrilled to take the wheel, mindful of the course that he—and Marianne Mallon before him—charted for this magazine and the high bar they set for excellence.

Although my face is new here, my name may be familiar, at least to long-time readers, from bylines on dozens of articles for this magazine on topics such as refugee resettlement, fighting discrimination, climate change and public health, homelessness, veterans’ health, trauma, and the many faces of grief. It was a privilege then to regularly talk with social workers about some of the most important and urgent issues of the day, and it’s an honor now to take on the role of editor.

In the features of this last issue curated by Lee, Sue Coyle reports on why it’s crucial for diversity, equity, and inclusion trainers to know their audiences; Brian Carnahan explores the challenges of obtaining licensure in a different state; Ann M. Callahan looks at the importance and the rewards of building relationships with long term care residents; and Z Paige Lerario and Holly Fancher offer a case study about the ethical dilemma a supervisor faces when a student refuses to work with a client based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. And finally, Frederic G. Reamer highlights the importance of understanding behavioral health advance directives.

I’d like to hear from you about what you believe are the most pressing issues for social workers, and I look forward to hearing about the innovative work you and your colleagues are doing. Please get in touch with me at kjackson@gvpub.com.

— Kate Jackson
kjackson@gvpub.com