Welcome, Emily!

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1 day ago
2 min read

Meet our new staff member!

Hi! I’m Emily. Previous students - those I was fortunate to know during my years as a school social worker - called me Ms. Shayman. More recently, P-12 students who see me around their schools, building capacity via a community schools framework, call me Dr. Emily (or, some stay quiet while using the the widely known ‘head nod + partial eye contact’ greeting). Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in higher education have called me everything from Professor, to Dr. Shayman, to Hey-Shayman! - or anything in between. My child calls me ‘mom' (and I’m always hopeful to hear the cheerful tone rather than the whiny one), my brother calls me ‘sis’, my dad says ‘Emmers’ ... and now, I’m honored to be known as the Professional Development Coordinator for SSWAA. ...Wow do I feel privileged to be saying hello to the world of school social workers across the nation (and globe)!!!

I first got to know SSWAA about ten years ago as I was just beginning my doctoral studies, and the conference was hosted in Chicago (yep – I've breathed Midwest air my whole life). Since then, I’ve attended the annual conference almost 10 times, participated on several committees, and shared SSWAA resources with MSW students eager to become school social workers. It feels a bit surreal to be writing this blog rather than opening it up to read in the Saturday newsletter!

Now that I’m almost a month into my new adventure as official SSWAA staff, I’m happy to report that I’ve got more to learn, share and grow! Here’s just some of what I’ve seen and confirmed so far:

School social workers work hard (“Duh.” - I know - I like to state the obvious to ensure that it’s not taken for granted)
SSWAA staff work hard (Maybe less obvious – though just as true)
The 2026 National Conference is going to AMAZE (Will be more and more obvious to everyone as plans continue to emerge – stay tuned!)
***I’ve got a lot to learn: And, I hope that my love for learning becomes and remains obvious! I really love learning!***

Having worked as a school social worker across all grades P-12 and as faculty in higher ed, I’ve been able to learn alongside everyone from three-years-old through undergraduate/graduate, and adult learners. Now, as the Professional Development Coordinator, I get to continue to spread (and participate in!) the joy of learning alongside professionals.

Please know that...

If you’re ready to learn, then I’m here for you.
If you want to find-expand-create-share-experience-discuss learning opportunities, then I’m here for you.
If you’re interested in teaching me (and/or schooling me), then I’m here for you.
If you want to talk about school social work, then know that I continue to see and learn the numerous ways SSWAA is the place to be.

Reach out anytime -

Emily