2026 SWAG Awards Nominees
Honoring Social Workers & Organizations Where Heart Meets Impact
CELEBRATE THE HEART WORK
The SWAG (Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness) Awards spotlight social workers and organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh Area who lead with compassion, courage, and commitment. Too often their work goes unseen—this is your chance to honor them.
AWARD CATEGORIES
Individual Awards
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Heart Work Award
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Entrepreneur of the Year
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Social Worker Lifetime Achievement
Organizational Award - SWAG Legacy of Heart & Impact: Organization of the Year
FEATURED WORKPLACES
Allegheny County Department of Human Services • University of Pittsburgh • UPMC • Staunton Farm Foundation • Healthy Start, Inc. • T.H.A.W Inc • JFCS Jewish Family & Community Services • Steel Smiling, Inc • Penn State University • Penn West University • The Village Center for Holistic Healing • VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System • Children Youth & Families • Homeless Children's Education Fund • Sojourner House • Pittsburgh Public Schools • MPower Mental Health, LLC • City of Pittsburgh • Gwen's Girl's • Vision Towards Peace Counseling Services, LLC • Tailored Talks Counseling and Conversations, LLC • The Children's Institute of Pittsburgh • Umoja with Nia
IMPORTANT DATES
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Awardee Announcements: Wednesday November 12, 2025
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Tickets go on sale: Wednesday November 12, 2025
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6th Annual SWAG Awards Ceremony: Saturday March 7, 2026
ABOUT THE SWAG AWARDS
S.W.A.G: Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness Awards mission is to honor the “heart work” of local social work heroes that is oftentimes unappreciated and unrecognized. The goal of the annual SWAG awards ceremony is to recognize social workers in the Greater Pittsburgh Area who exemplify servant leadership through their commitment to promoting advocacy, social justice, generational healing and building stronger communities.
2026 6th Annual SWAG Nominees
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James Andrews, PhD, LCSW, LICSW
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Tracy Baton, LCSW
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De'Netta Benjamin-Miller, LCSW
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Jessica Burdick, MSW
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Dr. Camille Clarke Smith, EdD, MS, LSW, CPT
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Maizee Devlin, MSW, LCSW
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Dr. Kathi Elliott, DNP, MSW, PMHNI
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Grace Geisler, LSW
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Sabrina Heller, LCSW
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Bethany Hemingway, MSW
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Dr. Toya Jones, Ed.D., LCSW
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Bethany Douglass, LSW
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Mark Lepore, LCSW, LPC, PhD
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Yvonne Littlejohn, MSW, LCSW
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Brittany Maxshure, MSW, LCSW, MPH
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Khai Nelson, MSW, LSW
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John O’Connell, MSW, LSW
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Theresa Thao Pham, LCSW
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Renee Rose, MSW
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Patricia Schake, LSW
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Malaysia Smith, MSW
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Seren Spence, BSW
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Alize Strickland, BSW
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Kristy Weidner, LCSW