Region Representatives

To contact a Region Representative or Student Representative please use the Contact Us form on this website.

Boulder/Broomfield: David Elliot, MSW, LCSW (he/him)

David Elliot is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who obtained his Master’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has experience working with at-risk youth, serious mental illness, developmentally disabled, homeless, and in-crisis populations. For the past couple years, David has been an in-home therapist for children, adolescents, and families. David is a therapist at Happy Homes Counseling and Griffith Centers for Children. He loves the outdoors and often snowboards, hikes, jogs, and plays disc golf. He also has a passion for indoor activities including cooking, playing drums, and maintaining his coral reef and fish tank. Having a growth-oriented mindset, David seeks to support his community both as a therapist and a member of NASW. His goal is to gather feedback from peers and translate this into meaningful and effective tools for the enhancement of social workers and the populations they serve.

Denver Co-Rep: Amanda Chaney, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

Amanda J Chaney, MSW, LCSW is a therapist who works with clients ages pre-teen to senior at her private practice in Littleton, CO. She specializes in working with adolescent girls and women on issues such as life transitions and depression. Amanda received her Bachelor Degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1993, Magna cum Laude in Psychology and a Master of Social Work degree in 1999 from the University of Denver. Prior to expanding her private practice, she worked with Lutheran Family Services foster care program and Mental Health Colorado and Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners (Colorado Crisis Line) on issues such as reducing mental health stigma, improving access to mental health care and suicide prevention. Amanda would like to join NASW as the Region Rep for the Denver area in order to return to her social work roots and continue to advocate for improved mental health for all Coloradans, regardless of their economic resources.

Denver Co-Rep: Pheonix Rising, MSW, LSW (she/they)

Phoenix has been dedicated to helping those in need for over fifteen years serving in non-profits, education, private practice, and the criminal justice system. She gained her MSW from New York University in 2011 and has had a hand in both micro and macro work throughout her career. She is a member of the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, and is well trained in racial diversity, equity, and social justice. She has coordinated dozens of community-building events, has been involved in local and national advocacy work, and has previously held several leadership positions. Phoenix looks forward to representing the Denver area Social Workers and building a stronger professional community.

Mountain: Rachel Forbes, MSW (she/her)

Rachel Forbes is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Social Work and the Western Colorado MSW Program Director for the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work.  She has lived and worked in the Mountain Region of Colorado since 2011 when she moved to Summit County to develop and teach in the Bachelor of Arts in Sustainability Studies (BASS) degree program at Colorado Mountain College and work as a Clinician at Colorado West (now Mindsprings). In 2013, Rachel moved to Glenwood Springs to develop and launch the Western Colorado Master of Social Work (MSW) Program through the Graduate School of Social Work at DU. In this capacity, Rachel has partnered with local organizations to create MSW field placements, served on local and regional boards including the Western Mountain Region Health Alliance, and supported the graduation of four cohorts of graduated MSW’s throughout the Mountain West. 

As a researcher and scholar, Rachel’s area of expertise is environmental justice and climate change. She is co-author of the book Intersections of Environmental Justice, Climate Change, Community and the Ecology of Life. Her edited book Ecosocial Work Practice through NASW press is scheduled for publication in early 2023. Rachel is passionate about the development of the social work workforce in the Mountain Region and hopes to utilize her role on the NASW-CO Board to help grow a thriving social worker network in mountain communities. Rachel enjoys spending time in the outdoors with her family: Shawn (husband), Dawson, Sawyer, & Ella (children).  

Northern: Ann Robinson, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

Ann Robinson (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who obtained her Master’s degree in social work from Colorado State University. She has experience working with at-risk youth, K-12 education systems, and individuals and families in outpatient settings. For the past couple years, Ann has provided mental health services for students in public education settings in both Greeley and Fort Collins and has recently made the shift to private practice. Ann loves the spending time with friends and family, being outdoors, gardening, and hanging with her two dogs and cat. She also enjoys indoor activities like cooking, reading, watching television. With a system-minded brain, Ann seeks to support her community both as a therapist and a member of NASW. She hopes to obtain feedback from her Northern Colorado community of social workers and represent them comprehensively with cultural humility, growth, and excellence in mind.

Southeast Co-Rep/CO Springs Area: 

Vacant -- interested parties please contact Chapter Executive Director Leanne Rupp, LCSW at lrupp.naswco@socialworkers.org for more information

Southeast Co-Rep/Pueblo Area: Julie Mueller, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

Julie Mueller is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with an MSW in Social Work. She has served on collaborations to address domestic violence needs in child protection and human trafficking issues. Julie first worked as a child protection caseworker for almost five years followed by eighteen years as a child protection intake supervisor. During her child protection career, she provided internship supervision to many BSW and MSW candidates as well as clinical individual and group supervision to staff seeking their LCSW. She provided training on the inner workings of child protection and how it related to issues such as domestic violence. Julie was a member and later co-chair for the employee sponsored fundraising committee to serve clients’ needs not met by other funding sources. She has since worked as a fund advisor for a private trust that grants financial assistance to former employees of Crane Co.  She provides occasional social work case management in a rural hospital on a PRN basis. She enjoys spending time with her husband and son as well as reading, camping, hiking, and kayaking.

Southwest Co-Rep/San Luis Valley Area: Donna Descoteaux, MSSW, LCSW (she/her)

Donna Descoteaux, LCSW received her MSSW and BA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is in private practice providing psychotherapy for individuals, couples and families.  She works with clients on issues including depression, anxiety, childhood abuse and neglect, grief and loss, end of life issues, PTSD, and psychological effects of physical illness.  She has a special interest in family therapy dealing with the impact of Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury and chronic and terminal illnesses. She is also the Medical Social Worker for At Home Healthcare in Alamosa, CO, where she enjoys being part of an interdisciplinary team.  She is co-producer of The Living Well Show, a national radio show focused on health. Volunteer work includes many years on the Costilla County Library Board and work with animal rescue. As a member of NASW Texas, she was privileged to work with state and national leadership to help pass legislation for licensure of Social Workers in Texas. She has lived in the San Luis Valley since 1999.

Southwest Co-Rep/Four Corners Area - Rebecca Heath, MSW (she/her)

I am someone who has faced chronic health problems and the healthcare system most of my life. I have struggled, given up, and pulled myself back to reality. I am passionate about advocating and helping those who have struggled with chronic health issues. I know what it’s like to experience ableism, gaps in the healthcare system, and my own self doubt. My experience dealing with chronic health issues and the healthcare system gives me a unique personal perspective beyond my professional perspective. I testified remotely on behalf of myself and the NASW Colorado Chapter for HB 19-1120. I was a Graduate School Association Representative for the Four Corners MSW program. I am an advocator, supporter and learner. I have a lot of life ahead of me and I am eager to experience it.

 

Western: 

Vacant -- interested parties please contact Chapter Executive Director Leanne Rupp, LCSW at lrupp.naswco@socialworkers.org for more information

Delegate Assembly Delegates (2022 - 2025)

Trevor Gates-Crandall, PhD, LCSW (he/him)

  

Greetings NASW-Colorado members!  My name is Trevor Gates-Crandall, and I am excited to join you in representing your interests as part of the NASW Delegate Assembly.  My current primary role is serving as faculty in the MSW program at Colorado State University-Pueblo, where I specialize in teaching direct practice and global issues.  I have lectured internationally in Australia and Vietnam.  My practice experience includes specializing in work with gay and bisexual men around anxiety, depression, and adjustment issues.  I have been a member of NASW for nearly 20 years and previously served as Board Secretary at NASW-Texas.  I currently am on the NASW-Colorado Practice Standards Committee.  I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, and am sole proprietor of Clinical Social Work PLLC, a small telehealth practice specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) issues in Colorado Springs.  I look forward to working with you to make sure your interests are represented and to add a voice on issues related to culturally responsive practice with LGBTQ+ communities.

 

 

Tiffany Banks, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

 

 

Tiffany Banks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is dedicated to serving the disability community. In Banks’ clinical role she specializes in providing mental health treatment to support people with Autism across the lifespan. Banks’ passion for policy and advocacy work is influenced by her clinical career and how systems impact marginalized identities in educational and healthcare settings. In 2018, Banks began to work with the Sibling Leadership Network, a non-profit dedicated to empowering siblings of people with disabilities, as their chair for Policy and Advocacy. Banks is currently working towards a doctoral degree in Social Work at Colorado State University where her research includes family-centered policy reform, animal-assisted interventions, and disability.  In addition to research and clinical work, Banks helps to run a leadership and advocacy training program in Denver called Allies in Leadership, Policymaking, and System’s Change that provides self-advocates, siblings, and caregivers in the disability community the basic skills to engage in policy advocacy efforts. After serving the people of Colorado through appointment to the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners, Banks hopes to continue her service to the profession as an NASW Delegate Representative.

 

 

Student Representatives

 

Graduate Student Rep: Jill Dean, BSW, MSW Candidate (she/her)

 

Jill Dean is a graduate student at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work focusing on Organizational Leadership and Policy Practice. In May  2022, she obtained her BSW and BS in Psychology from Union College, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She has experience in hospitality, leadership, and social work advocacy positions, and has a passion for serving resilient communities through these outlets. During undergrad, she completed her Field Work hours at a women and children’s shelter and with the NASW Nebraska chapter. Currently, she is completing her Field Work hours as an intern at Chronic Care Collaborative working with chronic health policies, member organizations, and constituents.

Jill’s grandmother was a Social Worker and helped influence Jill to find a passion and love for the field. She knew she wanted to serve others in a meaningful capacity, and has found Social Work to be just that. Jill spent her middle school and high school years in Denver and is glad to be back home in Colorado to complete her MSW. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, with her dog, Frank. She also volunteers her time by coaching middle school and high school sports. Jill is looking forward to serving as the MSW Student Representative for the NASW Colorado chapter because she believes connecting students with one another and on a larger scale via the NASW plays a key role in the collaboration of Social Workers.

 

Undergraduate Student Rep: Sydney Dalton, BSSW Candidate (she/her)

 

 

Hello social workers of Colorado! I am a BSSW student at Metropolitan State University of Denver, entering into my final year of the program. I found social work after several years of changing majors, trying different jobs, and seeking to figure out what I’m truly passionate about. Social work has proven to be the exact profession I was looking for. I’m inspired by how this profession frames people and communities through their strengths and not their deficits. I’ve gained a whole new perspective on how we exist in the world and how each of us has unique abilities that we can use to better our communities.

Currently I am serving as a volunteer at an emergency resource shelter for the unhoused and also as their volunteer coordinator, a position that allows me to create opportunities for community members to become engaged with the work the shelter is doing. I am also part of a new YIMBY (yes in my backyard) volunteer group that is working to put together public events to educate about the issue of homelessness in our community and to create connections between people who are housed and unhoused. Through this work I have discovered the importance of collective action and the value that social workers can bring to creating solutions for the large systemic issues that we are facing in our communities and country. This is why I want to run for the undergraduate board position for the Colorado chapter of the NASW. Student social workers are the next generation of this profession and getting involved early in our careers is important to learn how we can create change on a bigger level and find ways to work on the issues we are most passionate about. I want to create opportunities for students to connect with each other and with those who are already working in the field so that we can use our collective power to make a difference on the most concerning issues we are facing.

In my free time I love to spend time in my garden, go hiking with my dog Charlie, and spend time with my husband, friends, and family. I’ve lived in Colorado my entire life and feel grateful to have access to such beautiful outdoor spaces and try to get outside as often as I can.