Elvira Craig de Silva Named NASW President

WASHINGTON – The National Association of Social Workers has named Elvira Craig de Silva, DSW, ACSW as its president. With 153,000 members, NASW is the largest professional organization of social workers worldwide. Dr. Craig de Silva, originally from Argentina , brings more than 30 years of social work experience to the NASW presidency

Dr. Craig de Silva has done extensive work in diversity and intercultural communication. She is particularly interested in remedying the vast health disparities in this country, specifically related to language and cultural barriers to health care access.

“We live in a multicultural world in which understanding diversity and developing cultural competency are keys to effectiveness in all fields,” says Dr. Craig de Silva.

Dr. Craig de Silva is the Associate Dean of the Communication Skills, Social Sciences and Foreign Languages Department at Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee , Wisconsin . She received her DSW from the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino in Buenos Aires and a diploma in Latin American Studies from Rutgers University .

Through her impressive career, Dr. Craig de Silva illustrates the many faces of social work. For the past 16 years, she has been educating human services professionals at Waukesha County Technical College . While teaching at the University of Wisconsin for 14 years, she also served as the Coordinator of Education and Research in the Social Work Department at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Milwaukee . Prior to moving into academia, she was the director of the Industrial Labor Team at Rutgers Mental Health Center in New Jersey , providing therapy and counseling to labor union members and their families. Starting out her career in Argentina , she served as a social worker in a police department.

“Dr. Craig de Silva brings a wealth of talent and experience to the leadership of NASW. Her career has combined direct service, administration, education and research,” says Dr. Elizabeth Clark, executive director of NASW. “Her presidential focus on multiculturalism and health disparities will further important initiatives in the field of social work.”

Dr. Craig de Silva has been actively involved with NASW for the past 20 years, serving as the president of NASW-Wisconsin Chapter from 1996-1998. She will be the first NASW president to serve a three-year term, providing her with more time to reach her presidential goals.

For more information about Elvira Craig de Silva, DSW, ACSW or to interview her, please contact NASW Communications Department at media@naswdc.org.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.