SPECIFIC PIONEERING CONTRIBUTIONS
Julie E. Shroyer, MSW, has dedicated her social work career to improving the lives of individuals, groups, and communities through social work policy practice. She is a skilled advocate, leader, and negotiator. Shroyer is president and CEO of Wheat Shroyer Government Relations (WSGR), a public service and health-oriented federal advocacy firm that she founded in 2021 in partnership with former Congressman Alan Wheat. Shroyer has more than 35 years of federal health policy experience including service on Capitol Hill, and in senior positions in the non-profit and private sector. Shroyer is a respected advisor to congressional and presidential campaigns, and she is sought after for her recognized expertise in health and mental health care public policy.
She has been a strong proponent of inspiring social workers to seek public office as a powerful means of applying social work training and values to policies that touch many lives and impact our profession.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Shroyer began her career in Washington, D.C., as a professional staff member for the House Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families, working closely with Chairpersons former Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and the late former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (D-CO).
From Capitol Hill, she transitioned to a non-profit membership association. She spent six years as deputy director of congressional affairs at the American Psychiatric Association where she worked on mental health parity and reform. To this day, Shroyer remains an advocate for ensuring that mental health and addiction parity efforts are realized and expanded.
Shroyer became a vice president at Capitol Associates, a lobbying firm, where her clients included health professional associations, medical research coalitions, and a large research university. She then worked as senior vice president and COO at Wheat Government Relations, where she headed up the firm’s health care practice for 12 years.
She has worked with the Honorable Alan Wheat throughout her career, drawn to his storied public service career as the youngest African American ever elected to Congress and one of the nation's first African Americans to represent a district with a majority white population. She subsequently worked as a senior policy advisor at one of the largest law firms focused on health care in the country, to positively shape health care public policy through her advocacy work.
In 2021, she and Congressman Wheat launched their shared vision to start Wheat Shroyer Government Relations (WSGR), where Shroyer serves as the president and CEO. WSGR continues to represent NASW, along with numerous other organizations seeking to advance access to quality health care.
Shroyer has served as a policy consultant with NASW since 2014, assisting the organization in working in a bipartisan manner to both represent and push for investments in the social work profession. She has been instrumental in getting the Improving Access to Mental Health Act drafted and introduced in multiple Congresses. Two provisions of the legislation have recently been included in the Senate Finance Committee’s markup of the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act in late 2023. This legislation has served as a centerpiece of NASW’s advocacy efforts, as it aims to increase reimbursement rates for social workers and modernize the Medicare program to reflect the services within social workers’ scope of practice.
Shroyer has taken the lead in working with Senate and House champions to introduce social work safety legislation, as well as to help provide the social work perspective on countless legislative efforts. She facilitated former NASW CEO, Dr. Angelo McClain, providing testimony to the Education and Labor Committee Subcommittee on Workforce Protections on the need for social work safety titled, "Caring for Our Caregivers: Protecting Health Care and Social Service Workers from Workplace Violence."
Shroyer has helped NASW secure appropriations language related to reinvesting in the social work profession, along with numerous prior and ongoing appropriations efforts. Shroyer has worked with NASW to ensure social workers have a seat at the policymaking table, elevating the voice of our profession and clients. These efforts include advocacy to positively impact our profession, through addressing student loan debt burdens relative to average salaries to ensuring funding for social workers in key settings such as schools. Shroyer is also proud to have helped NASW advocate for the advancement of a broad portfolio of social justice policies to make our world a more just and equitable place.
Her volunteer work as a board member of House of Ruth, a local D.C. nonprofit that empowers women, children and families to rebuild their lives and heal from trauma, abuse and houselessness, keeps her grounded in her community.
BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Raised in Big Rapids, Michigan, Shroyer is married to David Shaw, also a social worker. They are the proud parents of two young adult daughters. She received her BSW from Western Michigan University in 1987 and MSW from University of Michigan in 1989.
SIGNIFICANT RECOGNITION AND AWARDS
Shroyer has received recognition for her role as a health care advocate including for outstanding national leadership and professional excellence in policy analysis and policy making. She was appointed to the Western Michigan University College of Health and Human Services Outstanding Alumni Academy.
With Shroyer at its helm, Wheat Shroyer Government Relations has consistently achieved recognition on the Bloomberg Government Top Performing Lobbying Firms Report for both 2022 and 2023, showcasing its exceptional performance and influence in the field.