Executive Director
Rebekah Gewirtz, MPA
Rebekah Gewirtz has been the executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, MA Chapter (NASW MA) since April 2017 and the executive director of NASW-RI since August 2020. Since Rebekah joined NASW-RI, the chapter engaged in a successful campaign to remove the licensure test at the LCSW level of social work and has expanded on its partnerships with the state's schools of social work across policy and programmatic areas. In the 2023 legislative session NASW-RI introduced legislation to provide loan forgiveness for social workers in the areas of highest need in addition to legislation that would add more social workers in schools.
Prior to this, Rebekah served for eight and half years as the director of government relations and political action at NASW MA. During that time, Rebekah was a leader in the campaign to raise the minimum wage and co-chair of the Campaign for our Communities, working with the support of nearly 100 organizations for a state revenue package that would be adequate and fair. She was a founder of the welfare coalition working for economic justice for the state’s lowest income families. Rebekah was also the lead on passage of significant social work practice legislation including legislation preventing non-compete clauses for social workers, legislation giving social workers section 12 authority, and legislation protecting social workers from frivolous lawsuits. In addition, Rebekah led NASW-MA’s political action work, endorsing and supporting progressive candidates throughout Massachusetts who share social work values and priorities.
Rebekah
was raised in Providence, RI and went to the University of Rhode Island for her
undergraduate degree. The daughter of the late social worker activist and
professor at RIC School of Social Work, Nancy Gewirtz, Rebekah brings her
passion for social justice with her to this role at the RI Chapter. Rebekah can
be reached by email at:
rgewirtz.naswma@socialworkers.org