Debra Faria, LCSW, ACSW is Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work Emerita at SUNY Brockport where she served in the roles of department chair and field education director. During her 22 years as a social work faculty member at SUNY Brockport, Debra administered federal, state and foundation training grants focusing on child welfare, gerontological social work, health, and mental health services totaling 1.8 million. In 2010, Debra was honored to receive the Outstanding Principal Investigator/Faculty Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education Leadership Award from the Social Work Leadership Institute of the New York Academy of Medicine.
Debra developed and administered a Graduate Certificate in Gerontological Social Work for SUNY Brockport. This advanced certificate prepared over a 100 MSW students with specialized knowledge and skills in gerontological social work. As department chair, Debra administered and managed budgets, hired adjunct faculty and provided departmental academic leadership. Debra’s scholarship includes: 23 publications, 88 peer-reviewed presentations, and 70 invited presentations.
Prior to coming to SUNY Brockport, Debra was assistant professor and field director at Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) Baccalaureate Social Work Program. While at RIT, she was honored to receive the Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. At RIT and SUNY Brockport, Debra was involved in planning and engaging students in international social work including teaching study abroad experiences in Sweden and Russia. Additionally she partnered with an MSW program in Scotland for a Collaborative online International Learning (COIL) program.
Debra served a four-year term on the CSWE Field Education Council and served a total a total of 9 years (3 terms) as a commissioner/board member on the CSWE Commission on Accreditation, renamed Board of Accreditation (BOA). She continues to complete accreditation candidacy site visits for BOA.
Debra has been an active member of NASW for three decades. She served on the board of directors of the New York State Chapter in roles of Board Member at Large, Vice President and President. Debra also has leadership experience on NASW’s national board of directors in roles of Division III Director and Vice President. Service to NASW on a national level includes: Chairing the Women’s Issues Committee, Chairing the Program Committee, and serving on the board Governance Committee, NASW Audit Committee and NASW Finance Committee. Debra also served as a Delegate to NASW’s Delegate Assembly five times. In 2007, she was honored to receive the Social Worker of the Year Award from the Genesee Valley Chapter of NASW-NYS.
Debra currently serves on the NASW Assurance Services (ASI) Board of Directors, and serves on the NASW ASI Finance Committee. NASW ASI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NASW, responsible for offering high-quality insurance to social workers. Debra also serves as Vice President and chair of the audit committee chair for Linkages of Rochester (not for profit board administering the sister-city program between Rochester NY and Veliky Novgorod Russia). Additionally, in 2023, Debra was elected to the United University Professionals (UUP) union as the SUNY Brockport Retiree Representative, and participates in the Rochester Labor Council’s Retiree council.
Debra’s practice experience includes both direct practice and administrative practice in medical social work in hospital and long term care settings and clinical social work. She is a licensed clinical social worker in NYS. She earned her MSW degree and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology and Graduate Certificate of Excellence in Advanced Women’s Studies from Syracuse University. She also completed 60 credits of a 72 credit PhD program in Social Sciences from the Syracuse University Maxwell School. Her baccalaureate degree in Social Work is from Rochester Institute of Technology.
