The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Nebraska Chapter annually recognizes individuals who are nominated by their peers for their extraordinary service and accomplishments. This year’s award recipients include:
Public Citizen of the Year: Dr. Suzanne Haney, from Project Harmony, is recognized for her medical expertise and skilled training related to the complexities of child abuse and neglect in the Omaha metropolitan area. Dr. Haney is one out of roughly 275 board-certified child abuse pediatricians in the country. She has qualified as an expert in courts in the States of Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, and the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as in Military Court.
Public Citizen of the Year: Laila Khoudeida, who came to the United States as a refugee child from Yazidi and now advocates for the Yazidi community and the plight of Yazidi women and girls.
Lifetime Achievement: Mary Bahney, who is attributed for her work in establishing the role of the first elementary school social worker at Millard Public Schools and then sharing that foundation for future school social workers.
Lifetime Achievement: Jim Blue, CEO of Cedars in Lincoln, who has grown the organization to a $13 million agency providing out of home and prevention services to juveniles through Nebraska’s changing times for children and families.
Social Worker of the Year: Janie Pfeifer Watson, owner of Wholeness Health Centers in Grand Island, Broken Bow and Kearney, for providing mental health services to individuals in Nebraska where services have been limited by responding to the gaps and meeting community needs. For more information, visit www.nasw-heartland.org.