The Ripple Effect of Leadership: Shifting the Paradigm of Social Workers as Leaders

Social workers are natural leaders. It isn’t about the title, the years in practice or the setting—leadership is an innate part of who social workers are and the skills we possess. The challenge becomes recognizing the many types of leadership, from the quiet leader to the more vibrant entrepreneur. Leadership can and should be recognized and developed, especially in social work. It is not about the absence of leadership potential in our field; it is the myth that leadership can’t be cultivated and social workers are not in a position of power or influence. Learning about how to identify leadership opportunities, validate the innate skills we already possess and how to advocate for ourselves and our profession is a critical part of changing the way social work is viewed by ourselves, employers and the greater community.

Presented by:

Lisa Marquette Porat, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW

Lisa brings over three decades of experience in the healthcare industry as a health communication/marketing executive, oncology social worker, graduate school professor, organizational leadership consultant, and health educator in private and public settings. Lisa is a DePauw University and Indiana University graduate a licensed clinical social worker, and a certified oncology social worker. With primary expertise in oncology, Lisa’s focus has been on patient advocacy, communications, leadership, and program management.

Lisa is the U.S. Lead of patient Advocacy for BeiGene U.S.A., a global biotech company. She has also been the President of ILP Solutions, Inc., a healthcare communications consulting group, for over 18 years. She was previously the Senior Vice President and Head of Oncology for a Washington, D.C. health communications firm and the founding clinical program director of the Cancer Support Community-Central Indiana. In addition, Lisa has taught as an Adjunct Faculty Professor in the I.U. School of Social Work MSW program numerous times over the years.

Lisa’s passion for education and community engagement extends to serving on numerous local and national Boards. Lisa is a past president of the Association of Oncology Work, a Fellow (and Chair) of the Association of Oncology Social Work Fellows Cohort, and also was the 2016 recipient of the AOSW Leadership in Oncology Social Work Award sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Lisa is also an active volunteer and board member with the Indiana University Alumni Board of Directors, Center Grove Education Foundation, and the Center Grove School Corporation.