Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of NASW Oregon are elected officers who provide key leadership and assist in the growth, strategic planning and overall success of the chapter. If you are interested in learning more about open positions and the benefits of being a board member, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Lisa Bates, President

Lisa has been a mental health specialist for more than a decade at the Pacific Academy School where teens (ages 13-19) with a range of emotional disorders are treated, educated and served. She also works with the Providence Cancer Program as a group facilitator and she continues to be an on-call oncology social worker.

Marc Andrews, President-Elect

Marc has a Portland private practice, focusing on providing mental health and counseling services to gay men. He has over 25 years of experience in administration, clinical supervision, agency planning and direct service. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work and Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy and Management. He currently serves on the Portland Area HIV Services Planning Council.

Pauline Jivanjee, Vice President

Pauline is the associate dean for academic affairs at PSU’ School of Social Work. She has been a PSU instructor for 20 years and before that she worked as a social worker for 10 years. She has served as an NASW Oregon Chapter regional representative and board member. She currently chairs the chapter’s Social Work Reinvestment Initiative Task Force.

A. Bethprana Novi, Secretary

Bethprana is a clinical social worker in private practice in Northeast Portland. She specializes in serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and has over seven years of experience from providing mental health services at the Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Resource Center. She has worked with Child Welfare, TANF case management, homeless shelter programs, group homes, and mental health case management in the past 16 years. Beth focuses on bringing social work values of advocacy and social justice into her private practice.

Don Schweitzer, Treasurer

Don has worked in the field of social work for over 12 years, including working as a mental health therapist for the severely and persistently mentally ill; a drug and alcohol counselor for adults transitioning out of incarceration; a community organizer; and the director of housing and shelter programs for both adults and runaway and homeless youth. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Pacific University in Forest Grove.

Amy Reynolds, Treasurer Elect

Amy has over 20 years of clinical experience working with children (ages 4-20) and their families with an extensive background in community and school-based mental health services. Her experience includes residential and day treatment programs. She currently works at Pacific Academy, an alternative school serving middle and high school student needing mental health supports.

Dawn Williamson, Region 1

Dawn is a licensed clinical social worker with a strong generalist base. She has a private practice in Dundee, specializing in the area of trauma and loss with both children and adults. She is an adjunct for PSU and also works at Linfield College. Her interests include international social work both on a micro level and a macro level.

 
Daren Ford, Region 2

After graduating from PSU with his MSW in 2008, Daren found a passion for working with people in the grasp of addiction and mental health disorders. He is currently the intensive outpatient counselor for the Native American Rehabilitation Alliance of the Northwest Inc, working providing drug/alcohol and mental health counseling for Native Americans.

Rebecca Williams, Region 2

Rebecca currently works as an inpatient social worker, serving veterans of all ages at the Portland VA Medical Center. Her background also includes medical social work and serving the aging population. Prior to graduate school, she led a program funded by the Gates Foundation called The NYC High School Choice Program. While in graduate school at PSU, she was an active member of the the Student Affairs Committee.

Elaine Charpentier-Philippi, Region 2

Elaine recently graduated from Pacific University’s BSW program. Her experience includes research and implementation of a program for her capstone that studied the contribution that the natural environment can play in overall wellness. Her future goals include pursuing a graduate degree in social work with a focus on community-based practice.

Susanna Rempel, Region 2

Susanna is a dual MSW and MPH student at Portland State University. She completed a field placement at the NASW Oregon Chapter,  where she was deeply involved with the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative.

Graciela Molina Dacker, Region 3

Graciela has practiced social work for more than 29 years. She currently has a private practice, focusing on the Hispanic community. Her background includes medical social work/discharge planning, detox unit, psychiatric state hospital, and director of an outpatient drug and alcohol setting. For 10 years, she implemented a family program for the homeless living in shelters in NY. In Salem she worked for the Benton County Health Center, serving the Hispanic community.

Victoria Bones, Region 4

Victoria is a patient advocate for a regional trauma center, and she has a private practice. She has been a longtime advocate for children and families, as well as adults. She is serving her second term as a regional representative on the board and is active with the Rogue Valley District.

Gary Smith, Region 5

Gary’s distinguished social work career spans almost 37 years since graduating with an MSW from PSU. His background includes serving as the community mental health program director for Multnomah, Tillamook and Deschutes counties. He also served as an elected member of the Beaverton School District. Gary was honored in 1998 as a co-winner of the Oregon Social Worker of the Year Award. Since 2009, he has been the Central Oregon site coordinator for the PSU School of Social Work Distance Option campus.

Sara Jackson, MSW student

Sara is a student in the PSU School of Social Work. She is interested in criminal justice, immigration/cultural responsiveness and policy development. She is a member of Engineers Without Borders where she headed the community health committee. She is currently the lead research assistant on a research study through the PSU communications department.

Robin Davis, BSW student

Robin is a student in the PSU School of Social Work. Her professional goal is to work with marginalized communities in order to find meaningful ways to empower them and provide them with the tools and resources that will promote self-advocacy. She has volunteered as GED and ESL tutor and in many capacities with individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families.