Candidates
Elizabeth Pope (NC)
Please give a brief biography, including your education, licensure or certification level, and employment history.
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with micro, mezzo, and macro social work practice experience. I obtained my Bachelor of Social Work from Johnson C. Smith University and acquired a Master of Social Work with a concentration in mental health from the joint Master of Social Work program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Prior to my regulatory work, I practiced clinical social work in a variety of settings, which include work within the school system, residential treatment facilities, therapeutic foster care, community mental health programs, psychiatric treatment facilities, and academia. In addition to my clinical social work experience, I retain knowledge and skills in a broad range of areas, including case management, supervision, application of evidence-based practices, program implementation and management, and advocacy. Currently, I am the executive director for the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board, where I serve as primary liaison between the board, the state government, professional associations, licensees, and their clinical supervisors. In the role of executive director, I have also had the pleasure of serving as ethics liaison for the North Carolina Ethics Commission and legislative liaison for the state of North Carolina.
Give a synopsis of your regulatory and professional experience. Please emphasize your involvement with ASWB.
I have served as a board administrator for the past five years, and during that time I have had the opportunity to guide the North Carolina social work board in upholding its mission of public protection, enacted legislative changes, and broadened my professional experience through giving back to the profession as a volunteer. I have demonstrated my commitment and dedication through my participation in ASWB trainings, meetings, forums, and committees. My service on the Regulation and Standards Committee (2016 and 2017) afforded me the opportunity to become more familiar with the ASWB Model Social Work Practice Act and Public Protection Database. My work with the Continuing Competence Committee in 2018 as a member and 2019 as chair allowed me to expand my research efforts as they relate to best practices associated with competence in social work. My experience this year on the Regulatory Education and Leadership Committee has provided insight in developing programs related to social work regulation. Therefore, my diverse experiences in collaborating with regulatory administrators, board members, and professional associations will contribute to carrying out the mission of public protection.
Finally, make a brief statement on the major issues you see facing ASWB and how you would address them.
The major issues I see facing ASWB are multifaceted and best addressed through the scope of a diverse lens and fundamental leadership. I remain interested in implementation of best practices within social work regulation, establishing standards of minimum social work competence, and measuring competency fairly. The decisions made by social work regulators can have substantial impact on practicing social workers; therefore, we have a collective responsibility to pay attention to diversity, equity, inclusion, and broader social issues. I believe firmly that challenges create opportunities for change and growth, and that has become even more apparent over the course of the past year, rising to the many daunting challenges in regulating a profession during a national pandemic. As we forge ahead, I am prepared to focus on ASWB’s mission, strategic plan, and goals, while engaging my regulatory colleagues as we stand together in carrying out the mission of public protection.
Kate Zacher-Pate (MN)
Please give a brief biography, including your education, licensure or certification level, and employment history.
Proven regulatory leadership: I have worked as a social work regulator for 30 years serving in leadership roles, including as executive director with the Minnesota Board of Social Work since 2008. I am responsible for leading and managing the agency as the CEO with a biennial budget of $3.7 million, a staff team of 14, more than 16,000 regulated licensees, and approximately 400 complaints per year. I led the 2020 legislative initiative resulting in the successful enactment of social work license mobility in Minnesota.Give a synopsis of your regulatory and professional experience. Please emphasize your involvement with ASWB.
Finally, make a brief statement on the major issues you see facing ASWB and how you would address them.
- Strong leadership and inclusion: Continue to demonstrate leadership in the regulatory community. Cultivate and sustain strategic partnerships during these uncharted times of the COVID-19 and racial injustice pandemics. Ensure a diverse, inclusive, responsive, and stable agency. Continue the innovative work of the ASWB strategic framework to promote sound regulation. Continue efforts to develop ASWB leadership.
- Responsive service to jurisdictions: Provide tools and services to member jurisdictions to effectively meet our missions in these demanding and complex times. Monitor and gather reliable data on regulatory, policy, workforce, and emerging social work practice issues to promote a proactive, supportive response to members and the regulatory community.
- Ensure exam integrity: Maintain the diversity and integrity of the examination program in the United States and Canada at an affordable cost to applicants while ensuring fiscal needs.
- Promote mobility: Partner with member jurisdictions to construct models that will enable effective and efficient license mobility that serves both professionals and the public, particularly in our new COVID world.
Tobi Zavala (AZ)
Please give a brief biography, including your education, licensure or certification level, and employment history.
I am the executive director of the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. AzBBHE regulates the practice of behavioral health professionals by licensing counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, and substance abuse counselors. I joined AzBBHE in 2010 and served as the assistant director and deputy director. In July 2014, I was appointed as the executive director and serve at the pleasure of the board.
Give a synopsis of your regulatory and professional experience. Please emphasize your involvement with ASWB.
Immediately after joining AzBBHE, I was impressed by the dedication and caring of the professionals that the board serves. As a career, behavioral health can be rewarding yet sometimes heartbreaking. Working on a daily basis with an often vulnerable population takes special individuals, and I am honored to represent the agency that regulates these hardworking professionals.
As the executive director, my goals for AzBBHE are to maintain the safety and welfare of the public, ensure our applicants and licensees are treated fairly and equitably, and monitor behavioral health and licensing trends to keep the board aligned with federal and national standards.
My passion is to ensure that my staff and I strive for continual improvement in board
operations. My commitment to the board and committee members, the public, and our licensees is that I will enhance our processes and procedures where possible, while maintaining the integrity the regulated community has come to expect from our agency.
I have been engaged with ASWB since my appointment in 2014. I have joined a number of meetings offered, such as a New Board Member Training and a special leadership conference for board chairs and executive directors. In 2019, I was asked to speak at the annual education conference. I presented on partnerships between regulators and legislators to enhance public protection. In late 2019, I worked closely with staff at ASWB to develop and then moderate a composite board meeting to be included at the 2020 education meeting. I plan to commit to and continue these efforts for the 2021 meeting.
Finally, make a brief statement on the major issues you see facing ASWB and how you would address them.
I believe that one of ASWB’s issues, which I would like to redefine as an opportunity rather than an issue, is collaboration across related disciplines. There is pressure to deregulate in all professions, but we need to learn from one another. ASWB can draw from what other associations/professions are doing, what’s working, and what is not working. It will also create a better understanding of the different issues for composite boards compared to stand-alone boards.
I would address this by committing myself to assist in developing and affording
opportunities for ASWB to create relationships among similar disciplines. I started this a couple years back as I worked with ASWB leadership on how we could start this process. The first step would have been taken at the 2020 education meeting by offering a composite board summit. I look forward to making this happen in 2021 as
well as finding other ways to develop cohesiveness.