DSW Student Lena Green Wins Mid-Career Exemplary Leader Award

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) - New York City Chapter has honored Lena Green, a current Silver School DSW student, with its Mid-Career Exemplary Social Work Award for her outstanding leadership, expertise, and dedication to the profession in New York City. Silver School Dean and Professor Lynn Videka and Director of the Silver School DSW Program Carol Tosone nominated Ms. Green for this distinction noting, "Ms. Green embodies all of the exceptional qualities associated with NASW leadership recipients. She consistently demonstrates these attributes in professional and academic settings."

Ms. Green is the Founder and Executive Director of the Akira Center, a community-based social service program focusing on fatherhood, healthy marriage and relationships, and counseling for families in Harlem. In 2012, Ms. Green was appointed to Mayor Bloomberg’s Task Force for Responsible Fatherhood. Ms. Green worked with New York City agency leaders to help them infuse "father friendly" activities into their programs. "What does father-friendly mean?" Ms. Green asked. "At the Akira Center, we seek new ways to make fathers feel welcome in our programs." Ms. Green supervises MSW and BSW social work students conducting community outreach to underserved populations. She provides guidance on program development, management, and evaluation. Ms. Green is a member of the Silver School’s inaugural DSW class. Ms. Green said, "I always knew that I wanted to pursue a doctoral-level education and felt that the Silver DSW Program was a wonderful opportunity to participate in research, as a clinician, and directly apply what I've learned in the classroom to helping my clients."

In addition to her professional and academic obligations, Ms. Green is a member of the Coalition on Mental Health, a think tank dedicated to a community-partnered approach, with an emphasis on faith-based settings, training church ministers on screening and referring parishioners to ongoing mental health treatment. The organization also aims to reduce the stigma and increase access to culturally-competent mental health care. "I am so excited and elated to receive the NASW Mid-Career Exemplary Social Work Award," said Ms. Green.

Learn more about NYU Silver's DSW Program in Clinical Social Work »