Announcing the 2026 GADE Leadership & Service Awardees
Join us in celebrating awardees at the CSWE Annual Conference in October at the GADE/CSWE Doctoral Networking Breakfast.
On behalf of the Group of Advancement for Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) Board of Directors and Awards Committee, we are pleased to announce the 2026 GADE Leadership & Service Awardees.
The GADE Faculty Award for Educational Leadership in Social Work Doctoral Education is given to a current or former faculty member at a member institution who has made significant contributions to advancing doctoral education in the field of social work. Faculty distinguished by this award display a strong commitment to doctoral education and a demonstrated record of advancing doctoral education at the national or international level. The 2026 GADE Faculty Award for Educational Leadership in Social Work Doctoral Education is awarded to Dr. Denise Burnette from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work.
The GADE Student Award for Teaching is given to an individual doctoral student who has demonstrated outstanding qualities as a social work educator. The student’s record evidences impact, creativity, and overall effectiveness as an instructor. The 2026 GADE Student Award for Teaching is awarded to Keri Lintz from the University of California, Los Angeles Department of Social Welfare.
The GADE Student Award for Leadership & Service in Social Work is given to a social work doctoral student or group of students who, through ongoing or time-limited actions, activities, or project(s), have shown significant leadership in service to their School, University, or professional or academic associations. The 2026 GADE Student Award for Leadership & Service is awarded to Patrick Mulkern from the Boston College School of Social Work.
Sincere thanks to the Awards Committee for their careful review of the outstanding application pool and to all of the nominators for taking the time to elevate the work of social work faculty and doctoral students. The Awards Committee was extremely impressed by the quality of applications and the exciting work represented in the nomination packages.
Awardees will be recognized at the annual GADE/CSWE Doctoral Networking Breakfast at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA on Friday, October 23 at 7:30-8:30am. We hope you will join us for this opportunity to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Section: Awards
