The NASW Texas Awards seek to honor the achievements of NASW Texas members throughout their professional careers, as well as honor the contributions of publicly-elected officials, public citizens, and members of the media whose work upholds the values and mission of social work. Award recipients are nominated by their branches and selected through a review and voting process by the NASW Texas Board of Directors.

Congratulations to the 2025 NASW Texas Award Recipients featured below and to everyone recognized by their local branches for their extraordinary work in our profession.

2025 lifetime achievement award_

Dr. Debra J. Woody, LCSW

Each year, the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers selects a social worker for this award to celebrate a lifetime of accomplishments. In honoring the Lifetime Achievement Award winner, NASW Texas recognizes the best social work values and accomplishments demonstrated throughout the social worker’s lifetime. Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Awards demonstrate repeated outstanding achievements, make contributions of lasting impact, exemplify outstanding creativity, and receive recognition beyond the social work profession.

Dr. Debra Woody, Ph.D., LCSW, stands as a towering figure in the field of social work, whose career spans over four decades of transformative leadership, scholarship, and service. A graduate of Texas Christian University, Columbia University, and Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Woody has dedicated her life to advancing mental health, substance use treatment, and social justice through education and community engagement.

At the University of Texas at Arlington, Dr. Woody has held numerous leadership roles, including Interim Dean, Senior Associate Dean, and Director of the Center for Addiction and Recovery Studies (CARS). Under her guidance, CARS secured over $10 million in external funding, providing vital services to vulnerable populations and hands-on training for hundreds of students. Her visionary work in substance abuse prevention and mental health has shaped policy, practice, and research across Texas.

Dr. Woody’s legacy includes rebuilding UTA’s PhD program into a nationally recognized full-time model, developing student support centers, and leading diversity initiatives that resulted in the creation of the university’s Diversity Certificate and Minor programs. Her commitment to equity and inclusion has empowered countless students and faculty, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.

A prolific scholar and mentor, Dr. Woody has authored numerous publications and chaired dozens of dissertations, always centering the dignity and worth of individuals. Her work has earned national recognition, including the CSWE Faculty Service and Leadership Award.

Dr. Woody embodies the core values of social work—integrity, compassion, and advocacy. Her career is a testament to the power of education, the importance of representation, and the enduring impact of servant leadership. The NASW Texas Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates not just her accomplishments, but the lives she has uplifted and the future she continues to shape.

Nominated by the North Central Texas - Fort Worth Area Branch.

2025 Social Worker of the Year_

Laurie Cook Heffron, PhD, LMSW

The Social Worker of the Year Award honors a member of NASW Texas who exemplifies the best of the profession’s values and achievements. In honoring the Social Worker of the Year, NASW highlights superb accomplishments in the practice of social work. The Social Worker of the Year demonstrates outstanding leadership, advocates for clients, and takes risks to achieve outstanding results.

Dr. Laurie Cook Heffron is a nationally recognized scholar, educator, and advocate whose work has transformed the landscape of social work practice, particularly in the areas of forced migration, gender-based violence, and human trafficking. As Associate Professor and Social Work Program Director at St. Edward’s University, Dr. Cook Heffron has empowered countless students, especially first-generation and marginalized learners, through mentorship, collaborative research, and trauma-informed education.

Her scholarship bridges theory and practice, centering the voices of immigrant survivors and advancing policies that promote dignity and justice. She has authored the only textbook exclusively focused on human trafficking for social workers, and her research has shaped national conversations on immigration, violence, and systemic reform.

Beyond academia, Dr. Cook Heffron provides expert witness testimony in immigration cases, conducts psychosocial assessments for survivors seeking legal protection, and trains legal and health professionals in trauma-informed care. Her interdisciplinary collaborations have led to groundbreaking models of integrated legal-social work advocacy, directly impacting the lives of migrant women and children.

As a department chair and community leader, she fosters inclusive, feminist leadership rooted in shared power and mutual respect. Her tireless commitment to justice, mentorship, and community engagement exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession.

Dr. Cook Heffron’s work is not only visionary, but also deeply human. 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.

Nominated by the Capital Area Branch.

2025 Social Work Student of the Year_

Ashley-Annette Borges

The Social Work Student of the Year Award honors a student member of NASW Texas who is enrolled at least halftime (as defined by their school) in a graduate or undergraduate Social Work Program and has made an outstanding contribution to the goals and mission of the profession. The Social Work Student of the Year demonstrates leadership, a commitment to social justice, the profession of social work, and clients, and the integration of social work knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.

Ashley-Annette Borges exemplifies the heart, intellect, and spirit of the social work profession. A military spouse, mother of four, and first-generation college student, Ashley-Annette has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing her Bachelor of Behavioral Science in Social Work at Hardin-Simmons University. Her journey is marked by resilience, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Ashley-Annette’s academic excellence is matched by her dynamic leadership. She serves as Vice President of the HSU Social Work Club, Secretary of the Sigma Beta Chapter of Phi Alpha Honor Society, and a Steering Committee member for the NASW West Texas Branch. Her advocacy spans critical issues including men’s mental health, elder care, and healthcare access for underserved populations.

Her research is bold and impactful. Ashley-Annette presented findings on women’s healthcare access to Texas legislative staff, developed strategies to improve geriatric mental health for Mesa Springs Healthcare Center, and created a community asset map to address service gaps for veterans in Abilene. Her work led to campus-wide initiatives like the Men’s Mental Health Panel, fostering dialogue and destigmatization.

In her practicum at Windcrest Nursing and Rehab, Ashley-Annette has earned praise for her professionalism, empathy, and teamwork. She has already passed the bachelor’s licensing exam months ahead of graduation, demonstrating her readiness to serve.

Ashley-Annette also leads the I Ka Mana Mau Polynesian Dance Group, using traditional dance as a therapeutic and educational tool in long-term care settings, promoting cultural understanding and intergenerational healing.

Ashley-Annette Borges is not just a student, she is a changemaker. Her lived experience, academic rigor, and fearless advocacy make her a shining example of social work in action. The NASW Texas Social Work Student of the Year Award honors her extraordinary contributions and the promise of a future shaped by her leadership.

Nominated by the West Central Texas Branch.

2025 Public Citizen of the Year_

Zenobia T. Lai

The Public Citizen of the Year Award honors an outstanding member of the community whose accomplishments exemplify the values and mission of the profession of social work and who has acted with courage to make a significant contribution to an area or population of concern to the social work profession such as: at-risk or vulnerable populations, quality of life in communities, or social issues.

Zenobia Lai is a fearless advocate, visionary leader, and tireless champion for immigrant rights whose work has transformed lives and systems across Texas and beyond. As Executive Director of the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, Zenobia leads a coalition of over 30 organizations, driving innovative, cross-sector solutions to advance equity, inclusion, and justice for immigrant communities.

Her career spans decades of groundbreaking legal advocacy, from directing one of the largest immigration legal services programs in Texas at Catholic Charities to shaping national policy through litigation, education, and coalition-building. Zenobia’s leadership has secured millions in public-private funding to expand legal representation, healthcare access, and citizenship support for low-income immigrants. Her initiatives, like the Immigrant Resource Hotline and Connect for Healthcare have become lifelines for thousands navigating complex systems.

Zenobia’s impact is deeply personal.

As an immigrant herself, she brings lived experience to every policy table and courtroom, speaking truth to power with grace and conviction. Her work embodies the core values of social work, dignity, justice, and the power of human relationships, even though she is not a social worker by title. She educates, empowers, and uplifts, building bridges where others see barriers.

From her early days as a human rights journalist in Hong Kong to her leadership in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Houston, Zenobia has consistently challenged injustice and inspired change. Her legacy includes mentoring future advocates, preserving affordable housing, and defending the rights of survivors, children, and families.

Zenobia Lai is more than a public citizen, she is a force for good. Her principled leadership, strategic brilliance, and unwavering compassion make her a profoundly deserving recipient of the 2025 NASW Texas Public Citizen of the Year Award.

Nominated by the Houston Branch.

2025 PUBLIC elected official OF THE YEAR_

Judge Lina Hidalgo

The Public Elected Official of the Year Award recognizes outstanding service and contributions of an elected official who has shown leadership in the formulation of public policy, particularly policies that affect social justice, health care, education, civil and human rights, and social practice.

Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County’s first female County Judge and a trailblazing public servant, is honored as the 2025 NASW Texas Public Elected Official of the Year for her courageous leadership and unwavering commitment to equity, justice, and community well-being.

Since taking office in 2019, Judge Hidalgo has redefined what it means to lead with compassion and integrity. Overseeing a $4.3 billion budget and serving more than 4.7 million residents, she has championed transformative initiatives in public health, criminal justice reform, mental health access, early childhood development, and environmental resilience. Her equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic ensured that historically underserved communities received critical resources, earning her national recognition including the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award and TIME Magazine’s 100 Next list.

Judge Hidalgo’s advocacy extends beyond crisis response. She has led efforts to reform Harris County’s bail system, expand mental health services, and invest in early childhood education. Her commitment to voting rights and democratic access has positioned her as a fearless defender of civic engagement, even in the face of political opposition.

Her leadership style mirrors the core values of the social work profession: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, and the importance of human relationships. She empowers social workers and community advocates to navigate systems and uplift vulnerable populations, modeling transparency, accountability, and visionary governance.

Judge Hidalgo’s impact is felt not only in policy but in the lives she touches. Her decision to publicly prioritize her own mental health further destigmatized care and inspired others to seek support. She is a powerful ally in the pursuit of social change and a beacon of ethical public service.

Nominated by the Houston Branch.

2025 media award_

eddie robinson

The Media Award of the Year honors a member of the media who has made outstanding contributions in Print, Radio, Television or Online Publications that exemplify social work values and ethics or increases the understanding, awareness and values of the social work profession to the general public.

Eddie Robinson, host of the acclaimed NPR program I SEE U, is the 2025 NASW Texas Media Award honoree for his powerful contributions to public discourse and his unwavering commitment to social justice through ethical journalism.

With over two decades of experience in radio, television, and digital media, Eddie has built a career rooted in storytelling that uplifts marginalized voices and deepens public understanding of complex social issues. I SEE U is more than a show, it is a platform for empathy, healing, and transformation. Each episode explores cultural identity, systemic inequality, and resilience, aligning closely with the values of the social work profession.

Eddie’s work consistently amplifies the lived experiences of individuals and communities often overlooked in mainstream media. He brings social workers into the conversation as trusted experts, highlighting their role in shaping policy, supporting vulnerable populations, and fostering community well-being. His programming reflects the NASW Code of Ethics by promoting dignity, advancing human rights, and encouraging compassionate engagement.

Now serving as General Manager of KPVU-FM and Professor of Communications and Advertising at Prairie View A&M University, Eddie continues to mentor the next generation of media professionals. His leadership bridges academia and public service, modeling integrity, curiosity, and cultural humility.

Eddie Robinson’s media legacy is one of courage, compassion, and clarity. He informs without exploiting, challenges without dividing, and uplifts without simplifying. For his extraordinary impact on public awareness, his dedication to ethical storytelling, and his deep alignment with the mission of social work, Eddie Robinson is a profoundly deserving recipient of the NASW Texas Media Award.  

Nominated by the Houston Branch.