Our Story
About CESW
Situated at New Mexico Highlands University’s Facundo Valdez School of Social Work, the Center for Excellence in Social Work (Center) was established in 2022 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham with the aims of generating high-quality research for data-driven policy and workforce solutions and providing culturally grounded professional development that honors community wisdom, strengthens workforce capacity, and promotes equitable, culturally responsive practice.
Mission
At the Center, we place relationships and collaboration at the forefront of our mission. Our commitment lies in growing our workforce while driving innovation in social work education, practice, policy, and research, emphasizing antiracism, anti-oppression, and cultural responsiveness.
Vision
The Center envisions a robust, resourced and culturally responsive social work workforce mobilized to address the emerging needs of New Mexicans and our communities stemming from a rapidly transforming climate, economy, and sociopolitical landscape.
Center for excellencew in social work
Our Purpose
New Mexico faces urgent healthcare provider shortages, including behavioral health workers, with rural counties most significantly under-resourced (Segarra, 2023). As of October 1, 2023, only 17.88% of the mental health care need was met, well below the national average of 27.19% (USHHS HRSA, 2023). As shortages persist, behavioral health outcomes steadily decline, overwhelming our workforce capacity to respond to emergent needs for New Mexico’s people, families and communities. The first of its kind in the U.S. Southwest, the Center is taking the lead in identifying and promoting data-driven solutions to these workforce challenges.
Press Releases & Announcements
A Message of Gratitude from the Center for Excellence in Social Work's Founding Director
July 30 • "There are moments in our professional lives that invite us to pause, reflect, and say thank you. This is one of those moments for me. It is with a heart full of many emotions, gratitude foremost among them, that I share I am stepping down as Director of the Center for Excellence in Social Work, effective August 7, 2026....Every accomplishment of the Center reflects the generosity of countless people who believed in this work long before its outcomes were visible. Faculty, staff, students, Advisory Committee members, agency partners, legislators, funders, community organizations, and social workers across every corner of New Mexico each helped space what the Center has become." READ MORE
Ground Zero in New Mexico: Award-Winning Documentary First We Bombed New Mexico Screens April 9 in Mescalero
Apr 9 • Mescalero, NM "The screening, a Special Event, is part of the Center for Excellence in Social Work's 3rd Annual NM Social Work Education Summit, A spectrum of liberatory social work: From education to social transformation from April 9–10, 2026. Attendees will participate in a live discussion with the filmmaker and Tina Cordova. The conversation will include practical guidance on RECA eligibility and how to apply for benefits. This screening is not only a film event — it is an opportunity to learn how to connect communities at the center of the original exposure to access long-overdue justice." READ MORE
State Launches Leadership Training to Address Homelessness
Jan 30, 2026 • "The training was made available to nonprofit directors, managers, and decision-makers serving individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Registration hit capacity with 50 leaders from across the state registering to join the training. Led by the Office of Housing in partnership with the New Mexico Highlands University Center for Excellence in Social Work and CNM Ingenuity, the paid, virtual training series brings nonprofit leaders together to gain valuable skills to bolster their organizations and collaborate to develop community-driven solutions to homelessness." READ MORE
2026 Social Work Student Advocacy & Action (SANA) Day at the Legislature
Feb 26, 2025 • "New Mexico social work students, 'SANA is your chance to turn your passion for social justice into real action. You are not just learning about policy; you are shaping it! Your voice matters and the decisions being made in that building [at the State Capitol] affect the communities you will serve as future social workers' said New Mexico State University School of Social Work Practicum Education Director, Maribel Tellez, BSW, MSW....SANA provides students with the opportunity to not only develop their own legislative, policy, and advocacy interests but also provides actionable steps to create real progress." READ MORE
Inspiring Student Advocacy & Action at the New Mexico Legislature: SANA 2025
Feb 26, 2025 • "The goals of SANA Day are multi-faceted, focusing on student empowerment, networking, and education. In the morning, students will have the opportunity to attend Behavioral Health Day events, observe the legislative session in action, visit legislative offices, and explore their policy interests with the support of mentors and peers. SANA leaders will share their expertise and assist students in small groups while they navigate the legislative landscape together. This will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of how laws are shaped and how they can influence the process." READ MORE
Transforming Social Work in New Mexico: Highlights from the Facundo Valdez School’s Center for Excellence in Social Work
Feb 11, 2025 • Las Vegas, NM • "The Center’s educational commitment is further exemplified by the introduction of the first Environmental Racism and Justice social work elective. 'This innovative course equips future social workers with the knowledge and tools to address environmental injustices that disproportionately affect marginalized communities,' Nelson explained. 'By incorporating pressing topics into the academic framework, we are preparing students to become advocates for change in an increasingly complex world.'" READ MORE
New Mexico Highlands University Facundo Valdez School of Social Work Receives $750,000 to Prepare Social Workers in the State
Oct 16, 2024 • Las Vegas, NM "By collaborating with community partners like Future Focused Education and the Native American Social Work Studies Institute, the Facundo Valdez School of Social Work and its Center for Excellence, SWEEP-Raíces will train individuals in culturally and linguistically responsive social work practices....This initiative not only addresses immediate workforce shortages, it also lays the groundwork for cultivating skilled professionals who are essential to meeting the needs of our communities and ensuring a sustainable future in social work across New Mexico and the U.S. Southwest." READ MORE
NMHU’s Center for Excellence Releases the First Social Workers of New Mexico Survey, Showing a Highly Committed but Overwhelmed Workforce
Aug 1, 2024 • Las Vegas, NM "The aim of this research was to help legislators and leaders in state agencies and community organizations understand the barriers social workers face across the state and how these barriers are impacting their work and wellbeing. A total of 755 social workers across all 33 counties in New Mexico responded to the survey. Survey findings highlight the challenging conditions faced by social workers in New Mexico. Despite their strong commitment and pride in their profession, many social workers are experiencing significant stress and financial difficulties." READ MORE
Theory of Change
The Center for Excellence in Social Work (CESW) envisions a robust, well-resourced, and culturally responsive social work workforce mobilized to meet the diverse needs of families and communities across New Mexico. This vision arises from a rapidly changing climate, economy, and sociopolitical landscape. The CESW's approach is deeply rooted in its commitment to anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and culturally humble social work practices, emphasizing just, equitable outcomes across all endeavors.
Foster Collaborative Relationships & Networks
Engages a broad array of stakeholders through statewide workforce assessments, supports existing initiatives, and acts as an intermediary and convener.
Engage Social Work Educators & Students
Provides resources and support to existing initiatives for both youth and reentering adult learners interested in social work education and careers.
Offer Professional Development for Existing Workforce
Hosts student listening sessions, convenes Social Justice Teach-Ins, and facilitates a Social Work Educator Summit to develop tools supporting the implementation of the 2022 CSWE EPAS.
Enhance Pathways for SW Careers
Identifies unmet areas for continuing education, offering culturally-grounded content and CEUs, and designs specialized certificate programs to increase licensure preparation and clinical supervision.
Conduct Analysis for Evidence-Informed Policies and Practices
Collaborates with state and community agencies on policy development, informs legislation through research and position statements, and generates policy briefs.
Generate High-Quality Research for Data-Driven Action
Produces culturally-relevant, evidence-informed social work practice briefs, conducts research to support social work innovations, and designs programmatic and organizational evaluation tools.
Research
2026 Social Workers of NM Survey
The Center for Excellence in Social Work approaches this report the way we approach all our work, rooted in relationship, grounded in community, and committed to research that is rigorous enough for policymakers and accessible enough for the social workers whose daily practice it describes. The 2026 Social Workers of New Mexico Survey continues a body of work the Center began in 2024, and it reflects the commitments that guide everything the Center does, including centering community and relationship as the foundation of behavioral health practice, collaborating across the full range of behavioral health disciplines, approaching every finding from a position of cultural and identity-grounded humility, and translating what we learn into research that state agencies, the Legislature, employers, and social workers themselves can use.
Center for Excellence in Social work
Our Team
Erik Rolstad, PhD, LCSW
Interim Director
erolstad@nmhu.edu
505-429-1340
Alycia Nabours, MSW
Special Projects Coordinator
adnabours@nmhu.edu
505-429-1340
Ruth Riley, NMHU FVSSW MSW Student
Graduate Assistant, Center for Excellence in Social Work
Ginger Anderson, MSW
HUD Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Assessment Team Researcher
Professional Development
socialworkceu@nmhu.edu
Our Partners
At the Center, we employ a relational approach in achieving our collective aims by fostering robust connections with social work students, educators, practitioners, organizations, and 2-year, 4-year, and graduate social work programs across the state. We work closely with New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families and Public Education Departments, the National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA) and the National Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA). The Center’s work is guided by a 30-member Advisory Committee that meets biannually. Our work closely aligns and supports the FVSSW Social Work Educational Enhancement Project (SWEEP)-Raíces and Native American Social Work Studies Institute (NASWSI).
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Contact Information