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James Zimmer
Cook County’s very own James Zimmer was just elected as the Northland Representative for the National Association of Social Work and will serve on the Board of Directors for the NASW – MN (National Association of Social Work).
What is this organization, and what does it do?
Following a merger of seven social work organizations, NASW was founded in 1955 and headquartered in Washington DC. Today the NASW is an organization of professional social workers that has about 120,000 members.
With chapters in every state plus Washington DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and an international chapter, the organization “works to enhance its members’ professional growth and development, create and maintain standards for the profession, and to advance sound social policies.”
Among other things, nationally, the NASW focuses on policy issues. During the 116th Congress, NASW is driven by the agenda that Congress set. Those issues include the Affordable Care Act Integration, Child Welfare; Medicare Reimbursement; Older Americans Act; Social Worker Safety; Student Loan Forgiveness and the Social Work Reinvestment Act.
When asked to explain what the Minnesota branch of NASW does, James replied, “So, the NASW as a whole is an advocating arm for social workers in the US. Kind of like any other professional association. The MN-NASW is the state organization that is involved in advocating for regional issues that uniquely affect our population.”
“I pulled this piece from the website that might give a little more clarity into that question: Every year, NASW-MN holds a number of trainings and workshops throughout the state, including our Annual Conference, Social Work Summit, and seasonal workshop days. We also lead advocacy activities throughout the year through our policy forums and Social Work Day at the Capitol. NASW-MN is the leading voice for social work in the state. Our efforts have direct impacts on social work practice in Minnesota; on social workers – members and not-yet-members – as well as the clients and communities they serve.”
Q- How many people serve on the board?
A- So, for our board, there are 15 members: The executive committee, which includes the President, Vice President, and Secretary. The geographical representatives, At-Large Representatives, and Student representatives.
Q- How many meetings are held each year, and where are the meetings held?
A- Per the national bylaws, we have four meetings a year with more opportunities to meet when the need arises.
Q- As the Northland Representative, can you tell me how much territory that covers? How long are the appointments?
A- “The territory that I cover is Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Carlton, Aitkin, Itasca, and Koochiching counties. Our appointments are two years starting on July 1st.”
A little bit about James
James, who works at the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, is a Behavioral Health Consultant who grew up in Cook County and graduated from Cook County High School in 1998. Following high school, he served in the Army for 20 years. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a Master of Science degree in Social Work (MSSW) and currently works as a licensed graduate social worker (LGSW) while working on his licensed independent clinical social work (LICSW).
“My wife April and I, with our three kids, moved back to Grand Marais in 2018. My oldest is my stepson who just turned 21, and my two biological sons are 18 and currently live here. My youngest, who is 16, lives with his mother in North Carolina.”
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