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NASW Pioneers Biography Index


The National Association of Social Workers Foundation is pleased to present the NASW Social Work Pioneers®. NASW Pioneers are social workers who have explored new territories and built outposts for human services on many frontiers. Some are well known, while others are less famous outside their immediate colleagues, and the region where they live and work. But each one has made an important contribution to the social work profession, and to social policies through service, teaching, writing, research, program development, administration, or legislation.

The NASW Pioneers have paved the way for thousands of other social workers to contribute to the betterment of the human condition; and they are are role models for future generations of social workers. The NASW Foundation has made every effort to provide accurate Pioneer biographies.  Please contact us at naswfoundation@socialworkers.org to provide missing information, or to correct inaccurate information. It is very important to us to correctly tell these important stories and preserve our history.  

Please note, an asterisk attached to a name reflects Pioneers who have passed away. All NASW Social Work Pioneers® Bios are Copyright © 2021 National Association of Social Workers Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

    
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Rachel Crandall-Crocker

Pioneering Contributions

Rachel Crandall-Crocker, MSW, created the International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2009.  This was in contrast to the Transgender Day of Remembrance which only focused on trans folks who were murdered.  Crandall-Crocker decided that it was time to celebrate the living. Since its first celebration in 2009, Transgender Day of Visibility has gained massive traction not only domestically but internationally. It has brought about policy change in many countries around the world.

In 2021 U.S. President Joe Biden was the first American president to proclaim March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility.  In the spirit of Crandall-Crocker’s vision and tireless advocacy work, President Joe Biden said: “To everyone celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility, I want you to know that your President sees you. And we’re committed to advancing transgender equality in the classroom, on the playing field, at work, in our military, in our housing and health care systems – everywhere. Simply everywhere. Even with a national proclamation of the special holiday, legislators across the United States have filed hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills. Clearly there is still much work to be done in guaranteeing that trans voices are heard and protected, and many believe that providing opportunities for visibility is the first step in a greater movement toward equality and equity.”

Career Highlights

After graduating from Michigan State University in 1985, Crandall-Crocker began working at a local community mental health organization. For 12 years (1985-1997), she served as a supervisor of older adult service at Livingston County Family and Child services, as well as participating in the Owosso Partial Hospitalization program.

In 1997, Crandall-Crocker and her now wife Susan co-founded Transgender Michigan, an organization with a mission to improve the lives of transgender individuals in Michigan. Stemming from their personal experiences as transgender-identified individuals in a society ignorant about gender differences, Susan and Crandall-Crocker quickly realized the overwhelming need to unite transgender individuals throughout Michigan through an online clearinghouse for transgender information and events in Michigan. Transgender Michigan was one of the first transgender-focused organizations in the United States.
Transgender Michigan has evolved into an organization that provides a multitude of services and programs like legislative advocacy, speaker programs, medical and legal support. It also provides a TransPages resource directory and supports events like Transgender Pride in the Park, Transgender Health Fair, Transgender Job Fair, International Transgender Day of Visibility. It provides support to chapters across the state, and their corresponding events. Crandall-Crocker’s leadership also helped to create the first transgender help line in the country, providing thousands of life-saving consultations and resources over the last 25+ years.

Crandall-Crocker runs her own private practice specializing in transgender issues, where she offers counseling to those hoping to come out or continue their transition, as well as parents and teachers who want to help transgender children. She has consulted and presented for corporations, government agencies, faith institutions, medical bodies, and universities on local, state, national, and international levels.

Specific to NASW, Crandall-Crocker has been an active member of the Michigan Chapter, serving as a national Delegate (where she helped add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Code of Ethics), was an active member of the Chapter’s LGBTQ+ Committee, and a founding trainer for the certificate program, Affirming Care Provision Across the Gender Spectrum: A Training for Mental Health Providers. The certificate aims to not only raise the standards for clinical services offered for these populations throughout the country, but to potentially save lives by increasing the number of competent mental health professionals across the United States.

Biographic Data

Crandall-Crocker Crandal Crocker was born on November 7, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University in 1985 with an MSW.
A profile of Crandall-Crocker’s can be found at the following Upworthy link: At 8 years old, her parents told her to hide who she was. Here's why she didn't listen.
 

Significant Achievements and Awards

Crandall-Crocker’s awards include the following: Prism Awards, 1998 and 2001; Liberty Bell Award, State Bar of Michigan, 2008; Human Rights Campaign, 2000; Corp Magazine, 2018; the TORCH Awards, 2019; Special Tribute for International Transgender Day of Visibility from the State of Michigan and from the White House. (2021-23); Game Changers, Detroit Tigers, 2023; and Michigan State University Grand Alumni Award, 2024.

Significant Publications

 




Newly Inducted NASW Social Work Pioneer Hortense McClinton 2015

Nominate A New NASW Pioneer

Please note, Pioneer nominations made between today’s date through March 31, 2023, will not be reviewed until spring 2023.

Completed NASW Pioneer nominations can be submitted throughout the year and are reviewed at the June Pioneer Steering Committee Meeting. To be considered at the June meeting, submit your nomination package by March 31. To learn more, visit our Pioneer nomination guidelines.


New Pioneers 

Congratulations newly elected Pioneers!  Pioneers will be inducted at the 2024  Annual Program and Luncheon. Full biographies and event details coming soon.


2024