3 social work faculty members retire after a combined 8+ decades of service to ASU

Three longtime faculty members at the School of Social Work are retiring from Arizona State University, cumulatively serving the university for more than eight decades and making lasting contributions to the social work profession.

Professor José Ashford, Full Administrative Professional Lilly Pérez-Freerks and Research Professor Wendy Wolfersteig are retiring in May 2025.

School of Social Work Director and Distinguished Professor of Social Policy Elizabeth Lightfoot said she is deeply grateful to the three for their extraordinary contributions to the school and the broader university community.

“They have shaped countless lives through their teaching, research and community service. Their legacy of compassion, excellence and commitment to social justice will continue to inspire us for years to come,” Lightfoot said. “On behalf of the school, I extend our sincere thanks and warmest wishes as they begin this next chapter."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for social workers is expected to increase 11% in the decade between 2022 and 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. We asked Ashford, Pérez-Freerks and Wolfersteig about their time at ASU and where their field is heading.

Note: Answers may have been edited for length and clarity.

Question: In what way has the social work field changed the most during the time you have been teaching at ASU? How did that change affect the profession?

José Ashford: Over my tenure, the field has seen a renewed focus on correctional and forensic social work, reflecting a shift back to addressing social inequities and advocating for humane justice reforms. This evolution was both surprising and deeply fulfilling, as the "tough on crime" era had limited social workers' roles in transformative practices. The reengagement with correctional and forensic areas has enhanced the profession’s capacity to advocate for sentencing reforms and address the complexities of mass incarceration.

Lilly Pérez-Freerks: It is the nature of our social work profession to change and evolve as our local, national and world change. The COVID-19 pandemic really challenged us to be creative about our social services delivery in light of the need for social distancing. It also brought forth our need to reach out to our vulnerable populations and provide those evidence-based interventions to address the many concerns of our citizens, across their lifespan.

Wendy Wolfersteig: The social work field and the public health prevention field in which I conduct community-based participatory research, have experienced enormous uptakes in the use of evidence-based practices (EBP), programs and policies over my career. When I started at ASU, working with community organizations to learn about their programs, there were few identified EBPs and little interest or push to implement such programs. With much effort, the use of science-based research to develop, test, implement and evaluate programs aimed at preventing health problems and improving Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) is now standard in public settings. These proven effective programs stirred public health and social workers to understand ways of matching people with the programs and resources best suited to meeting their needs.

Q: How will social workers need to prepare best to meet the challenges the profession will face in the next decade or two?

Ashford: Social workers must realign with foundational commitments to justice by enhancing correctional and forensic curricula and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. Advanced training in offender assessment, treatment and advocacy is critical to addressing mass incarceration. Equipping social workers with these competencies will enable them to advocate effectively for reforms and tackle the profession’s evolving challenges with resilience and innovation.

Pérez-Freerks: Social workers … will continue to empower clients to identify and apply their skills to reach for and attain the changes they want to see in their lives. As social workers, we will continue to work within the organizations, agencies and educational institutions to promote organizational policies and practices to improve the lives of vulnerable populations. As lifelong learners, we will continue to increase our skills to provide competent and ethical social work practices.  

Wolfersteig: The social work profession and social workers continue to learn ways to best address the challenge of providing evidence-based programming that is culturally and socially appropriate. Meeting the public health needs of constituents now also includes broadening to include SDOH, where evidence-based practices are being researched and implemented in areas of housing and food insecurity, as well as healthcare access and services.

Q: As you look back on your career at ASU, can you identify one experience that is among the most memorable?

Ashford: My most memorable experiences were with the Arizona Justice Project (AJP), where I collaborated with students to create parole release plans and conduct research on juvenile offenders. Seeing students rise to the challenges of balancing offender rehabilitation with public safety was incredibly rewarding. Equally significant was my work as an expert witness in life and death sentencing cases, which allowed me to bring nuanced social and psychological insights into the justice process while shaping the courses I taught.

Pérez-Freerks: One memorable experience was presenting a training session at our National Association of Social Work Conference in 2022 with three undergraduate students. We provided training to Arizona social workers on Cultural Competence: Healing Traditions of the Southwest (Mexican American and Diné traditions). It was wonderful to work with such talented students and to provide a forum for them to showcase their culture and speak about our healing traditions. It was absolutely beautiful!

Wolfersteig: Beginning the Office of Evaluation and Partner Contracts at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center under Professor Flavio Marsiglia in 2008 was the ASU memorable moment that led me to so many wonderful experiences. My prior ASU work was in this field of community-based evaluation, but this opportunity allowed me to continue and grow the applied research work I enjoy, partnering with agencies and organizations to conduct community-based participatory research.