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Policy Conference 2.0

Date: May 31 – June 2, 2018
Location: ​Clark-Fox Forum, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis


​Please join us for the Influencing Social Policy (ISP) national conference in St. Louis!

Join other social work faculty and practitioners with an interest in policy for this annual gathering! The ISP national conference provides a unique opportunity to network; learn about the latest developments; share research knowledge, practice experience, and teaching wisdom; and strategize for change. With the midterm elections around the corner and new efforts afoot to reduce government assistance to families in poverty, it is critical for social workers to have a space for discussion and deliberation.

This year’s highlights include two plenary addresses: 

  • Jeanette Mott Oxford, Executive Director of Empower Missouri and a former state legislator: “Social Policy Change: Aligning Our Thinking, Doing and Being”
  • Nicole Hudson, Deputy Mayor for Racial Equity & Priority Initiatives, City of St. Louis: “Policy and Equity: What Cities Can Do to Expand Opportunity and Access”

A special panel on the role of social media in advancing social policy: 

  • Hawk Newsome, President, New York Chapter of Black Lives Matter
  • De Andrea Nichols, a social media entrepreneur 
  • Jonathan Schwabish, Senior Fellow, The Urban Institute

Plus 45 workshops, presentations, roundtable discussions, and poster sessions on: 

  • Voter mobilization, trauma-informed care, food security, mental health policy, DACA, policy implementation, residential segregation, TANF, teaching social policy, school-to-prison pipeline, maximizing policy impact, EITC, teaching advocacy skills, the 2020 census, environmental justice, and much more