Officers
Dr. Manohar Pawar is the president of the International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) and is professor of social work, School of Social Work and Arts, Charles Sturt University, Australia. He was the former president of the ICSD Asia Pacific Branch, 2006 to 2016. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of a peer reviewed journal entitled the International Journal of Community and Social Development, published by SAGE. Professor Pawar has successfully conceptualised, led and implemented national and international research projects funded by the Australian Research Council and Japan Foundation Asia Centre. He has contributed to 165+ publications, including over 20 books/monographs. His publications include: Future Directions in Social development (co-edited, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017); Social and Community Development Practice (SAGE, 2014); and International Social Work (co-authored, SAGE, 2013).
Leila Patel is Distinguished Professor of Social Development at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the founding director of the Centre for Social Development in Africa where she is based. She played a leading role in the development of welfare policy in South Africa.
She has published widely in social development, social welfare, social policy, social protection and social work focusing on gender and care, and on children, youth and families. Her recent book coedited with Sophie Plagerson and Isaac Chinyoka – Social Protection and Social Development in the Global South – was published by Edward Elgar in 2023. Leila has been a board member of the ICSD and was recently appointed to the board of the UN Research Institute for Social Development.
Professor Walter-McCabe, Associate Professor, holds a joint appointment at the Wayne State University School of Law and the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Professor Walter-McCabe began her career as a social worker at a high acuity pediatric tertiary care hospital in the Midwest working with families whose children had significant medical needs. After law school, she directed a public health research program examining the impact of firearm violence in Indiana. She later served as the Executive Director of the William H. and Christine H. Hall Center for Law and Health at the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law before joining the faculty at the Indiana University School of Social Work.
Professor Walter-McCabe’s research is done at the intersection of law, social work, and public health. Her research translates complex legal issues and research findings across multiple professions to make the information accessible for use by practitioners and advocates in improving population health. As a part of this work she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Public Health Law Teaching Fellow from 2014-2016.
Most recently she is leading research examining law and policy impacting LGBTQ health equity and well-being. She has published in traditional peer-reviewed academic journals and law reviews and has also been sought by media to explain core issues of public health policy. Professor Walter-McCabe serves on the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association and is a contributing editor to the journal Social Work.
I am working as an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Gävle. I did most of my studies in the field of social sciences at the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom. I started my career in 1990, as a social worker with youth and adolescents in the Ministry of Youth and Sports –Mauritius. After having several years of experience as a social worker in various national and international organisations, I began my academic career as a lecturer in social work at the University of Mauritius in 2001. During my PhD, I have been teaching in England as part -time lecturer of social work and social policy. I moved to Sweden in 2009. My teaching and research areas include; Ecosocial/Green Social Work,International Social Work, Adolescent and Youth Development, and Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis with ATLAS-ti. I have been heading social work unit and programmes at two different universities, one in Mauritius and one in Sweden. I can communicate in four languages English, French (including Creole), Hindi (including Bhojpuri) and Swedish.
Mostafizur Rahman, MSW, PhD, is currently serving as Chairman of the Department of Folklore Studies at the Islamic University, Kushtia-Jhenaidah, Bangladesh. He is a Member of the Academic Council and of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Research University. He is a Visiting Professor of Noble International University-NIU (USA). Prior to this he was a Consultant for News, Assignment Editor and Senior News Host of a Bengali Television Network- Boishakhi Television in Bangladesh.Dr. Rahman was as Digital Media Advisor to the ICSD in December 2019.
Internationally acclaimed television journalist, broadcaster and versatile media personality Dr. Rahman is known as Mithun Mostafiz in the global media sphere with two decades of experience in mass communication having multi-tasking and multi-lingual abilities. He is a Member of United Nations Journalists Inter-Governmental Organization- UNJIGO. Dr. Rahman is the Editor of reputed Bengali National News Paper- The Daily Bangladesh Shomoy and Global Affairs Editor of Channel 52 Television based in USA. He was honoured by the City of Paterson Authority of NJ, USA in 2016 for his outstanding contribution to the international media. Amnesty International, UK Member Dr. Rahman is an Ambassador of Bangladesh for the World Peace Organisation- WPO. He is the Founder President of the News Broadcasters Association of Bangladesh- NBA as well.
Dr. Rahman has authored the book ‘Khasi women in Bangladesh’ and his two other books are under the printing process. Ethno cultural diversity, communication, volunteerism, folklore and socio-environmental issues are his areas of research Interest.
Dr Francis Ogojo Okello is a Director, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning and Adaptation at Panagora Group in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He has over 25 years of experience leading research, monitoring, evaluation and learning components of global and bilateral assistance development projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development. His prior experience includes work with multiple US-based global development consulting firms, including Abt Associates, Chemonics International, FHI 360, Population Services International and Social Impact. His country experience includes 12 sub-Saharan Africa countries, two in Asia (the Philippines and Bangladesh) and two in South America (Columbia and Surinam). He has a passion for social development, mixed-methods research, implementation science, data use and knowledge management. Dr Okello received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (Sociology & Social Administration) and Master of Arts (Sociology) degrees from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, and PhD from Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia.
Benjamin Lough is a Professor of Social Work and Business Administration and Director of Social Innovation at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also holds positions as Senior Research Associate with the Center for Social Development, University of Johannesburg, and Faculty Director of International Service at the Center for Social Development, Washington University in St. Louis. He is a Senior Researcher for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Ben’s research and teaching interests include volunteerism, community development, grassroots social innovation, and non-profit management. He was the lead researcher and author of the UN State of the Worlds Volunteerism Report and is currently researching the contributions of international volunteers to gender equality from the perspectives of partner organizations. Dr. Lough earned his Ph.D. in Social Work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis in 2010.
Sharvari Karandikar began her career practicing as a social worker for sex workers and victims of sex trafficking in Mumbai, India. During her Ph.D. program in Social Work at University of Utah, and through her work at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai and later at the Ohio State University, she has focused her research efforts on issues related to the female sex workers and victims of sex trafficking particularly on gender-based violence, health and mental health issues. Dr. Karandikar’s current research relates to sex work and sex trafficking in Asia, egg donation, international gestational surrogacy, medical tourism and its impact on women.
Dr. Chathapuram Ramanathan, PhD., ACSW, LMSW, LMFT, CAC has worked in the human service area for four decades, including as a practitioner, educator, administrator, and is a Professor, School of Social Work, Illinois State University. Dr. Ramanathan graduated with an MSW and a Doctoral degree in Social work and Human Resources Management from the University of Illinois. His practice and scholarship focus on cross-cultural issues, social work practice, social development, addiction recovery, corporate social responsibility. He has been providing Psychotherapy services for about 40 years, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Licensed Clinical and Macro Social Worker. Dr. Ramanathan serves ICSD as an Associate Secretary General, Linkages and relations with regional branches.
In 2012, Dr. Ramanathan was a Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Scholar, at NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences) served as host institution. In 2004, he was conferred a Fulbright Senior Specialist award, and was at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (first social work program in Asia – established 1936). He served NASW’s National Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, from 2012-2015; served NASW’s National Ethics Committee from 2007-2009. He serves on the editorial board and as a board of manager of two major journals: Drugs and Society; Social Development Issues. Dr. Ramanathan, facilitated a Memorandum of Understanding between NASW and ISPSW. He served the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) International Commission from 1992-2004. He has been serving CSWE as a trained site visitor for over 20 years. He has served on several agency boards, such as board of American Citizens for Justice, and Salvation Army. Dr. Ramanathan has received many awards and honors, including a tribute from a Michigan Legislator and Michigan Governor, in October 2008, which recognized him as an important Asian American leader. In 1999, his co-authored article was recognized as the best article, by the National Human Rights Workers Association. Dr. Ramanathan has presented several key notes and plenary speeches. In January 2014, he presented a plenary in a conference titled “Bounds of Ethics.” The inaugural address in that conference was given by his holiness the Dalai Lama. In 2002, he was a speaker through the US-Speaker Series program, presented “Diversity and Inclusiveness: A Hindu American View,” at the conference “Religious Pluralism and Democratic Societies: United States and South East Asia,” Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr. Ramanathan has presented over 50 papers and workshops in 18 countries.
Dr Mohan, Dean Emeritus, Social of Social Work, Louisiana State University, USA, is renowned as a scholarly editor, master teacher and prolific author. His most recent books include: Development, Poverty of Culture and Social Policy (Palgrave, 2011), Climate ,Economy and Justice (Palgrave, 2015), The Future of Social Work (Sage, 2018) and Social Policy on the Cusp (Nova, 2020). He has earned numerous honors and awards including a D. Litt. from M.K. Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith and the Life-Time Achievement Award from the National Association of Professional Social Workers in India.
Eleni Papouli is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of West Attica. From 2003 to 2018, she worked as a full-time professor of applications at the Department of Social Work of the TEI of Athens, where she graduated in 1993. She earned her BSW degree from Technological Institute of Athens, her MA (ICW) from the University of East Anglia (UK) and her PhD from the University of Sussex (UK). Papouli was a social worker before moving into social work education. She has a long experience in teaching and research and in 2015, became a teaching fellow at the Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS). Eleni teaches theory and practice courses for both the BSW and MSW programs. She also runs the pedagogical project “Diversity Dolls” in order to promote respect for human diversity, as a value and attitude of life, in every social, educational and professional environment. She is author of various publications.
Dr George Palattiyil is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. With teaching and research experience spanning across India, Scotland, Jordan, Uganda and Bangladesh, he is passionate about internationalising the curriculum and cross-cultural learning and in 2019, won the Best Personal Tutor Award from the Edinburgh University Student Association. He sits on the Board of Directors of Multi–Cultural Family Base, and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services. He has served on the British Journal of Social Work editorial board and currently contributes to the Editorial Board of Practice – Social Work in Action and European Social Work Research Journal, as well as the International Committee of JUCSWEC. More info about Dr Palattiyil can be found here.
ICSD is an excellent platform for a critical debate on the global challenges facing humanity and to inform future practice. I hope to contribute meaningfully to these debates and to raise ICSD’s profile globally.
Prof. Lakshmana G is an assistant professor of social work at the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the Central University of Karnataka. He holds a M.Phil and a Ph.D degree in clinical psychology from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), one of the premier institutes for mental health and neurosciences in India. He has over 12 years of work experience as a social worker and a researcher in various fields such as sanitation, mental health, disability, and child development. He teaches social work courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervises doctoral scholars. He has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and received grants from national and international funding agencies for his research projects on social work issues.
Liljana Rihter, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor, researcher and dean at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is a teacher of methodology of research in social work. Her research work includes methods and models of evaluation of social protection programmes, vulnerable groups, dementia, working poor, needs assessment and poverty. She has been a member of various groups at the national level in the field of social protection. She has been a member of ICSD since 2004 and a board member of European Branch since 2009. She has participated in various ICSD symposia and European branch conferences. My vision for the ICSD is it should continue to be an inclusive community of diverse groups (experts, professionals, academics, students, other people) who are committed to a decent life for all and sustainable development around the world.
Dr. Marissa Kaloga is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at University of Otago in Aotearoa New Zealand where she teaches community and organizational development. Her community-based research focuses on inclusive entrepreneurship, and how to promote social and economic justice through coordinated systems change approaches. She has conducted mixed-methods applied research with diverse communities in Africa, Asia, North America, and Oceania. As Director of Innovation, she ran The Economic & Community Development Institute’s Business Innovation Centre and Women’s Business Centre. She was the 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholar to Guinea, leading research on connectivity in Conakry’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. My vision for the ICSD is an organization that serves as a catalyst for interdisciplinary knowledge sharing that fosters innovative ideas in support of social development.
Ramola Ramtohul is an Associate Professor, teaching Gender Studies and Sociology. She has a PhD in Gender Studies from the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town. She has published widely on women, gender and politics in Mauritius. Her research interests include gender, politics and citizenship in multicultural contexts as well as high net worth migration and citizenship. She has received research fellowships from the University of Cape Town, American Association of University Women, University of Cambridge and University of Pretoria. She is co-editor of Journal of Contemporary African Studies and Island Studies Journal and a member of the editorial board of the journal Small States & Territories. I would like to see the ICSD taking scholarship on the developing world to greater heights, encouraging the participation of African scholars and the integration of a gender component.
Prof. Gamlath started his academic career in Sociology and turned to professional social work later after specific overseas training, including BSW, and completing PGdip and PhD in International Social Work and Social Development. He possesses a substantial level of experience as a professional social work practitioner across public, private and community sectors, in addition to his long experience in academia as an educator and in the industry as a qualified trainer and assessor. Prof. Gamlath is the founder of the new Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree programme at the University of Peradeniya. It is a landmark initiative as it is the first of its kind in the country’s university system, which includes 16 universities. In addition to the BSW, he has initiated Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work (PGdip) and Master of Social Work (MSw) degree programmes in the Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (PGIHS) at the University of Peradeniya. He continues to focus on and promote “research-informed practice and practice-informed research perspectives” as his mission in his professional social work education, practice and research. Some of his work in the field of generic social work has been widely published both nationally and internationally. He is actively involved in a number of national and international professional associations and networks, and currently contributes with international consulting editorial tasks to several international periodic publications in the field of professional social work education and practice. Prof. Gamlath identifies himself as a fully qualified and substantially experienced social work educator and practitioner in the country.
Dr. Rong Xiang, Associate Professor at Yunnan University, China, directs the Social Work Research Institute in the School of Ethnology and Sociology. She’s actively involved in NGO development, focusing on social services in China. Dr. Xiang serves on the National Community Governance Committee and as Vice President of Yunnan Federation of Social Workers. She founded several NGOs in Yunnan, including the Heart to Heart Community Care Organization and Foundation, working with migrant and hollowed-out rural communities.
Dr. Xiang’s research focuses primarily on developmental social work and social inclusion, along with gender and development, and service learning. Since 2006, she has integrated service learning into her teaching and research, conducting workshops across South and Southeast Asia. Her publications in both English and Chinese have significantly influenced regional social work practices.
Dr. Xiang has received numerous awards, including national recognition for protecting women’s and children’s rights (2013), National Social Work Top Ten Contributor (2015), and All China Social Work Leader (2017).
Gordana Berc was born in Zagreb, 1970. She graduated social work in 1999. at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Department of Social work and has been employed at the same faculty in 2001. as a junior research assistant. In 2005 she finished master degree in education sciences at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy. In 2009. she defended doctoral theses in the field of social sciences at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law. From 2010 she is employed as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law and she teaches on the undergraduate and graduate program as well as on the postgraduate program.
From 2001. until today she was involved in teaching different courses at the Department of Social Work (Social Work with Families, Preventive Programs in Social Work, Family Therapy, Basics of counseling, School social work). Today she teaches Basics of counseling, School of social work, Different approaches to Counseling, and two courses on the postgraduate program.
Dr. Asok Kumar Sarkar, Chairperson of the International Consortium for Social Development Asia Pacific branch, is Professor of Social Work. Presently, he serves as Head, Department of Social Work, Visva-Bharati, India and also Principal, Institute of Rural Reconstruction, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, India. He is an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Formerly, he worked as Head, Department of Social Work, Assam University, Silchar, Assam. He has authored and edited books such as NGOs: The New Lexicon of Health Care (Concept), NGOs and Globalization: Developmental and Organizational Facets (Rawat), Human Development and Sustainability: Challenges and Strategies (Atlantic), and Welfare of Disadvantaged: Exploring Community Development Approach (Concept). His forthcoming co-edited books include ‘Peace Building Initiatives’ (Manak) and ‘Women’s Empowerment and Non-Governmental Public Action in South Asia’ (Palgrave Macmillan). He is the founding editor of Journal of Social Work and Social Development, a UGC-CARE listed journal (of India) and served from 2010 to 2017. His areas of research interests include maternal morbidity, reproductive health, health care, NGOs and social development.
Lauren, a development sociologist with a Doctorate in Sociology from UJ, is the Director of the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg and was elected to chair the newly launched ICSD Africa branch at the 22nd Biennial Conference of the consortium in July 2021. Previously, Lauren served as Deputy Director of the CSDA.
Her research interests are in the application and testing of social and development theories in practice, with a focus on youth, children, and people with disabilities. She has strong expertise in evaluation research and is skilled in the use of both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. She is particularly interested in the use of research methods that give a voice to vulnerable groups. She is a National Research Foundation Y-rated scholar – a rating applied to emerging academics who show strong potential to achieve higher ratings in their careers.
Dr Kumar has a multidisciplinary background in Global Health and Social Work. He earned a doctoral degree in Global Health from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, which examine the delivery of mental health and non-communicable disease service at the public hospitals in India. He has taught social work courses in India and the UK and supervised many students for their field work practicum. Regarding social work practice, Dr Kumar has implemented various projects related to community health, emergency response, homelessness and livelihood for marginalised communities for the past 8 years. He has received numerous grants for his research projects and social enterprise. Dr Kumar’s research interests include health care for elderly, mental health services delivery, homelessness, education, health system strengthening. Dr Kumar is keen in working with students and colleagues to use technologies to develop models and interventions to tackle contemporary social problems at local and global level.
Social Developement Issues
Dr Mohan, Dean Emeritus, Social of Social Work, Louisiana State University, USA, is renowned as a scholarly editor, master teacher and prolific author. His most recent books include: Development, Poverty of Culture and Social Policy (Palgrave, 2011), Climate ,Economy and Justice (Palgrave, 2015), The Future of Social Work (Sage, 2018) and Social Policy on the Cusp (Nova, 2020). He has earned numerous honors and awards including a D. Litt. from M.K. Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith and the Life-Time Achievement Award from the National Association of Professional Social Workers in India.
Prof. Philip Hong is the Dean of the University of Georgia School of Social Work. Hong’s research has been supported by more than $4.6 million in funding
from foundations and federal agencies such as the US Department of Health and Human Services. The social work intervention model that he has developed, “Transforming Impossible into Possible (TIP)”, is a national model for social policies that promote self-sufficiency and family- strengthening. The TIP model is being applied and tested to support communities in the areas of employment and workforce development, health promotion, youth development and empowerment, returning citizen reentry, substance use recovery, and violence prevention. He is the author of more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other
publications as well as 100 refereed conference presentations. Hong has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Poverty and Public Policy and of the journals Social Work Research, and Families in Society. He also has been an external reviewer for the Office of Policy Support in the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
Alice K. Butterfield is a professor at the Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago. Her scholarship focuses on homelessness, social policy, international social work education, and community development. She is an author of Incorporating Engaged Research in Social Development: Exemplars and Guidelines for Social Work and Human Services (2021); Practicing as a Social Work Educator in International Collaboration (2017); Dynamics of Family Policy (2010); Social Development and Social Work: Learning from Africa (2013); Interdisciplinary Community Development (2007); and University-Community Partnerships (2005). She leads the Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership (Project SWEEP), resulting in the first-ever MSW and PhD degrees in Social Work and Social Development in Ethiopia. [http://www.aboutsweep.org]. Dr. Butterfield has served as a Fulbright Specialist with Assam Don Bosco University in Northeast India. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University in St. Louis in 2007 and Dakota Wesleyan University in 2022. She can be reached at akj@uic.edu
Dr. Chathapuram Ramanathan, PhD., ACSW, LMSW, LMFT, CAC has worked in the human service area for four decades, including as a practitioner, educator, administrator, and is a Professor, School of Social Work, Illinois State University. Dr. Ramanathan graduated with an MSW and a Doctoral degree in Social work and Human Resources Management from the University of Illinois. His practice and scholarship focus on cross-cultural issues, social work practice, social development, addiction recovery, corporate social responsibility. He has been providing Psychotherapy services for about 40 years, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Licensed Clinical and Macro Social Worker. Dr. Ramanathan serves ICSD as an Associate Secretary General, Linkages and relations with regional branches.
Prof. James Midgley is professor of the graduate school and dean emeritus (1997-2006) of the School of Social Welfare. An authority on international social welfare, Dr. Midgley is regarded as a pioneer in the fields of international social work and social work and social policy in the developing world. He has published widely on the topics of international social work and social welfare policy. Dr. Midgley’s current research interests include international social work, social development and social policy.