Buies Creek, N.C.–Dr. Constantine Kledaras, architect of Campbell University’s Social Work program, has been honored by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as a “pioneer” in the field of Social Work. Kledaras was inducted into the NASW Pioneer Hall of Fame at the 16th annual National Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony in February.The NASW Social Work Pioneer program recognizes individuals who are models of excellence and have made significant contributions to the field of health and mental health. Kledaras, who served as supervisor of the Social Work Deparment and director of Out Patient Services for North Carolina at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, developed a statewide drug distribution program that freed hundreds of mental health patients from institutionalization by allowing them to receive medications through a state purchasing and dispersal program.Prior to coming to Campbell in 1994, Kledaras was a tenured professor at East Carolina University where he developed the Master of Social Work program. He also developed the Campbell University Social Work program, which received initial accreditation in 1995. The Campbell program offers a Bachelor of Social Work degree.In 1982, Kledaras received the NASW-North Carolina Chapter Social Worker of the Year award. He was named Clinical Social Worker of the Year by the North Carolina Society for Clinical Social Work in 2001 Kledaras has held leadership positions in the Council on Social Work Education, including the Commission on Accreditation, the North Carolina Society for Clinical Social Work, the Mental Health Association in North Carolina, the North Carolina Association of Social Workers in Mental Health, the Continuing Education Training and Advisory Committee for the Division of Public Health and the North Carolina Social Work Licensure and Certification Board (NCSWLCB). He was instrumental in gaining accreditation for Campbell University’s Social Work program and currently investigates ethics violations by social work professionals for the NCSWLCB.Kledaras holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in social work from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.”I am very pleased to be honored by this recognition,” Kledaras said. “I truly hope I have made a difference in the lives of others and have instilled in my students the dedication and commitment in serving and helping others, especially the vulnerable populations in our society.”
Kledaras named “Pioneer” of his profession