Two-time UT Social Work alum Laurie Cook Heffron (MSSW ’02, Ph.D. ’15) has been named the 2025 Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, Texas Chapter.
The award honors a member of NASW Texas who exemplifies the best of the profession’s values and achievements. According to the NASW Texas, the Social Worker of the Year “demonstrates outstanding leadership, advocates for clients, and takes risks to achieve outstanding results,” and has “superb accomplishments in the practice of social work.”
This marks the third consecutive year that NASW Texas has named a UT Social Work alum to one of their annual awards. In 2023, NASW Texas named Shane Whalley (MSSW ’03) as Social Worker of the Year and in 2024, they awarded Ruth Fagen-Wiley (Ph.D. ‘95) a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Our alumni are among the best researchers, educators, and leaders you will find, and they lead where stakes are high,” said Allan Cole, dean of UT Social Work. “Laurie Cook Heffron exemplifies what is best in social work and in The University of Texas at Austin. We are proud of her, and we celebrate her contributions being recognized with this award.”
Dr. Cook Heffron currently serves as an associate professor and as the director of the Social Work Program at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Prior to her career at St. Edward’s University, she worked as a researcher at UT Social Work’s Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, contributing to projects related to the needs of human trafficking survivors, sexual assault forensic exams, statewide prevalence of intimate partner violence, and violence and abuse among refugees and immigrants.
Her work as an educator, a researcher, and a practitioner continue to address intersections between violence, abuse, exploitation, and migration, as well as the multiple ways that migration and immigration policy shape abuse and violence.
“As social workers, we blend theory, research and action with the ultimate goal of transforming systems to support human wellbeing, and I appreciate the role the UT School of Social Work played in training me for a career in social change, specifically working to improve research, policy, practice, and education around immigrant survivors of violence, abuse and exploitation,” said Dr. Cook Heffron.
In an online release, NASW Texas described Dr. Cook Heffron as “not only visionary, but also deeply human,” in her contributions to social work. “She makes those around her feel seen, heard, and valued, modeling what it means to be a social worker every day. The NASW Texas Social Worker of the Year Award honors her extraordinary contributions and the enduring legacy she continues to build.”