Simmons College School of Social Work
300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115
Office: Room: P-408C, Phone: 617/521-3904
FAX: 617/521-3980
Email: cbonner@simmons.edu
B.A. in Psychology, Mount Holyoke College
M.S. in Social Work, Simmons College
MBA, Boston University
Leadership Seminar for Urban Leadership Students
As a 1974 graduate of the Simmons College School of Social Work, I am grateful for the education and the wealth of experiences my degree has made possible. Currently, as the Associate Dean of this program, I have enjoyed working with this outstanding faculty to expand on the strengths of this program and to meet the challenges that face the social work profession today. Although my role has been mostly an administrative one, I have enjoyed those aspects of my job when I am working directly with students. This may be teaching, helping students with academic planning, assisting students with disabilities, participating in community events, recruiting students for the program or just having one-on-one discussions with students. I want students and applicants to feel free to contact me with questions.
I am a professional social work clinician by training with areas of interest and expertise that include practice with African-Americans and other groups of color, supervision, practice in urban communities, and organizational assessment and change. I began working 30 years ago in the juvenile court clinic system in Boston and then moved into work in Cambridge at a child guidance clinic. In 1981, I joined the staff of the Tufts University Counseling Center as Chief Social Worker. This range of experiences, combined with my Simmons degree, have held me in good stead throughout my career.
Beginning in the 1980s, I began my interest in organizational change and, later, leadership development. Professional social workers possess a unique set of skills that, with development and nuturing, enable us to impact and influence the lives of our clients and the systems with which they interface. I strongly believe we need to develop leaders in the field, support second language skill development for students, and prepare students for practice with diverse populations. Simmons College School of Social Work has enhanced its strong reputation for educating social workers for practice and has expanded on its original mission to successfully integrate the development of leadership, social action and direct practice skills.
I have several current passions. One of them is The Urban Leadership Program in Clinical Social Work. This program was designed by the faculty at Simmons and a group of urban agencies to recruit and train social workers in both practice and leadership skills. In addition, students have the opportunity (if they wish) to attend a Spanish immersion program in Mexico and develop or refresh Spanish language skills. Students graduate with an MSW and a Certificate in Urban Leadership. The program has grown since its beginning in 1998 and we now have about 70 Urban Leadership students in the program. Sixty graduates of the program are working in a range of settings including housing, non-profit management, charter schools, acute hospital settings, schools for children with behavioral, learning and emotional issues and many other exciting settings.
A second interest of mine developed while I was President of the MA Chapter of NASW in 1997-1999. The MA Campaign for America's Professional Social Workers (MCAPSW) began in 2001 and became a non-profit organization in December of 2002. The mission of this organization is to share the expertise of professional social work with the public in Massachusetts, helping to educate and inform people about who professional social workers really are and what we do. We have defined professional social workers as people who have a BSW, MSW or Ph.D. in social work and our message, "America's Professional Social Workers: Making Real Life Work. Better" has been well received as a message that unites all professional social workers regardless of area of expertise and specialty.
Developed to address the misperceptions about our profession, MCAPSW also created a website for the public and for professionals looking for a directory or resources for their clients, families and organizations. The public site, www.makinglifeworkbetter.org, has had an increase in hits monthly as we seek to publicize its existence. In addition, our on-line store, www.cafepress.com/mcapsw, has messenger bags, mugs and other items with the logo and website for sale so that we can wear the campaign with pride! The MCAPSW has been strongly supported by the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW, www.naswma.org, which has made this effort one of their top priorities.
I am currently a member of several boards, including the Judge Baker Children's Center and the Grimes-King Foundation. I remain a loyal member of the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW. In 1995, I was honored to receive the award for the "Greatest Contribution to Social Work Education" from our chapter. In addition, I have a private practice social work practice and consultation.
I would be happy to hear from you and to answer any questions.