About the Presenters:

Brandie Reiner, MSW, is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience, demonstrating remarkable finesse in steering the profession of social work in Arizona as the former Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, Arizona Chapter. Brandie has been instrumental in spearheading influential social work programs spanning mental and behavioral health practice, public policy, and professional development initiatives. In 2024, she played a key leadership role in successfully advancing the Social Work Licensure Compact in Arizona, expanding opportunities for social workers and strengthening workforce mobility across state lines. Her unwavering advocacy for behavioral health, health equity, and LGBTQIA+ social determinants of health has earned her numerous accolades, including the Leadership in Advocacy Award, the Up-and-Coming Leader Award, Phoenix Business Journal’s Health Care Hero recognition, the 40 Under 40 Award, and the ATHENA Young Professional Award.

Brandie’s impact has been recognized across Arizona’s healthcare, social work, and civic leadership landscapes. Despite facing challenging political climates at the local, state, and national levels, she has demonstrated an extraordinary grasp of advanced political concepts and policy strategy, using her expertise to advance systems-level change, strengthen the behavioral health workforce, and advocate for communities too often left out of decision-making spaces.

Sarah Butts, MSW, FNAP is a social worker by training, lobbyist and government relations professional, with nearly 20 years’ experience working in nonprofits and government. Ms. Butts currently serves as the Vice President of Government Relations for a Maryland-based organization.

Ms. Butts brings expertise through her distinguished career in social work, social welfare, public policy, and advocacy. She most recently served as Director of Public Policy for the National Association of Social Workers, at its Washington, D.C. headquarters, where she led federal advocacy for the largest association of social workers in the country. There, she was instrumental in establishing an Interstate Compact for the Social Work profession and securing important Medicare and student loan debt policy reforms. Ms. Butts served on the 2023-2024 Biden-Harris Student Loan Debt Relief Committee, engaged in negotiated rulemaking, representing four-year university borrowers nationwide. Ms. Butts is also the founding administrator of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and the first Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative director. She has held other positions within the University of Maryland School of Social Work, Maryland Department of Human Services, and the Family League of Baltimore.

Recognized for her impact, Ms. Butts has received accolades such as The Daily Record’s Top 100 Women in Maryland, the VIP List Award, and the Women in Government Relations Federal Issue Campaign Award. She is a Distinguished Public Policy Fellow within the National Academies of Practice. Ms. Butts served as a consultant editor for the Marco Encyclopedia of Social Work published by Oxford University Press and recently coauthored a chapter in the Handbook of Health Social Work, 4th edition. Ms. Butts is a proud graduate of the Title IV-E education for public child welfare program and earned her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and her Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

About the Presenters:

Andi Young is a licensed clinical social worker and practice owner specializing in LGBTQ+ adolescents and adults. She also serves as the board treasurer of Just Schools, an education advocacy nonprofit focused on protecting queer and transgender students, and is the parent of two LGBTQ+ young adults.  As a clinical social worker, Andi understands how a lack of affirmation and support can have detrimental effects on mental health. In her role at Just Schools, she works to ensure every student has access to a safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education by building supportive educators, empowering students, and advocating for comprehensive policies that protect LGBTQ+ youth. Finally, as a mother, Andi has seen firsthand the regular stigmatization experienced by queer and transgender youth and the resulting challenges they face.

Brandie Reiner is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience, demonstrating remarkable finesse in steering the profession of social work in Arizona as the former Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, Arizona Chapter. Brandie has been instrumental in spearheading influential social work programs spanning mental and behavioral health practice, public policy, and professional development initiatives. In 2024, she played a key leadership role in successfully advancing the Social Work Licensure Compact in Arizona, expanding opportunities for social workers and strengthening workforce mobility across state lines. Her unwavering advocacy for behavioral health, health equity, and LGBTQIA+ social determinants of health has earned her numerous accolades, including the Leadership in Advocacy Award, the Up-and-Coming Leader Award, Phoenix Business Journal’s Health Care Hero recognition, the 40 Under 40 Award, and the ATHENA Young Professional Award.

Brandie’s impact has been recognized across Arizona’s healthcare, social work, and civic leadership landscapes. Despite facing challenging political climates at the local, state, and national levels, she has demonstrated an extraordinary grasp of advanced political concepts and policy strategy, using her expertise to advance systems-level change, strengthen the behavioral health workforce, and advocate for communities too often left out of decision-making spaces.