ASU professor selected as NASW Social Work Pioneer

James Herbert Williams is being recognized as a “pioneer” in the field of social work. He jokingly says he wonders if that means he’s had a particularly long career, rather than an illustrious one that’s had a major impact on the field.

In his case, the answer is both.

The National Association of Social Workers named Williams, director of the Center for Child Well-Being in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, one of this year’s NASW Social Work Pioneers. His career in social work has spanned 50 years and counting.

Throughout his career, Williams has focused on youth, families and those who are disenfranchised. Prevention has been the overarching theme of his work. He worked as a social worker for 17 years before becoming a scholar and has held leadership roles at three universities, including director of the ASU School of Social Work (2017–22), dean of the Graduate School of Social Work at University of Denver (2007–16) and various administrative roles at Washington University in St. Louis.

“I’ve come to realize that there are various ways one can impact a profession,” he said. “In the first part of my career, it was around working directly with families and youth. Then, in the second part of my career, it was around leadership in the profession, and through higher education, training the next cohort of practitioners.”

Elizabeth Lightfoot, director of the School of Social Work, said Williams received the distinction because of his national leadership to advance the profession.

“Being named an NASW Social Work Pioneer is one of the highest honors in our profession. It recognizes those whose leadership and scholarship have left a lasting mark on social work research, education and practice,” Lightfoot said. “Professor James Herbert Williams has inspired so many of us who follow in his footsteps.”

Williams’ own inspirations for his life’s work came at a young age.

One of those influences was his mother. Williams, along with his siblings, were the first in their family to go to college. It was their mother who inspired them to pursue an education. She earned a high school diploma, which at the time was “monumental in its own right,” he said.

“I was born in the South at a time when segregation was still very real in this country. You still had different bathrooms for different people,” he explained. “And my mother graduated from high school. For a Black woman in the South during that era to actually graduate from high school was highly unusual.”

He was also affected by what he witnessed in his neighborhood growing up.

“It was abundantly clear in the environment of my childhood that there were inequities in investments in education, housing, health care, economic opportunities and mental health,” he said. “It was these disparities I observed that shaped my research agenda.”

He chose social work because of the profession’s commitment to improving the quality of life for others.

While Williams recognizes that being named a social work pioneer is a lifetime achievement award, he’s still focused on helping others.

Williams is the director for the ASU Center for Child Well-Being, where he leads a team of about 20 employees, as well as eight to 10 student workers, depending on the semester. He is also directing an evaluation of Arizona’s extended foster care program, a partnership with the Arizona Department of Child Safety. The program allows young people to stay in care through age 21, rather than aging out at 18.

For the past four years, Williams has also taught an in-person class at ASU Local – Yuma, and last spring, he was a visiting scholar in Taiwan.

The new class of pioneers will be inducted during the NASW Annual Social Work Conference in Washington, D.C., in June. Williams will be there, along with friends, colleagues and his family to celebrate.

The honor is among many that Williams has earned in his long and dedicated career. He has held leadership positions in multiple national organizations and has been awarded prestigious faculty positions, including the Arizona Centennial Professor of Social Welfare Service, the Distinguished Emil M. Sunley Endowed Chair at University of Denver, and the ASU Foundation Professor of Youth and Diversity. He is an elected fellow in two renowned research societies: the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and the Society for Social Work and Research.

But despite this acclaimed resume, Williams said this award is special because it is voted on by both academics and direct practitioners.

“I feel very honored. Right now there are probably more than 700,000 social workers working in this country, and to be picked as one of 17 to earn the award this year is a wonderful honor,” Williams said.

As he looks back on the past five decades, his career highlights are not the main emphasis. Instead, he focuses on the people he has met and the impact he has made on students’ lives. When he goes to conferences, he meets his students’ students, which feels like spending time with grandchildren, he said.

“I've had a very enjoyable career. I know people who are counting the days until their job comes to an end. I've never been like that. I've always loved what I do,” Williams said.