Nelson’s 42-year career celebrated by School of Social Work
by Matthew Smith
A child of the 1950s and 60s, Gary Nelson saw a whirlwind of change sweep the nation from his working-class neighborhood in Boise, Idaho.
“I came of age in a time somewhat similar to what’s going on now,” said the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work professor emeritus. “There was a lot of turmoil in the country.”
With a nose for history and sociology, Nelson found himself considering his future as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon. He could have continued his career in either direction, but he wanted to do more than just “think.”
That desire led him to a 42-year career at Carolina in the School of Social Work, changing the lives of hundreds of students over the years and thousands of families across the state, nation and globe.
That career was celebrated Aug. 22 by family, friends and colleagues during a ceremony hosted by the UNC Center for Aging and Adult Research and Educational Services (UNC Cares) honoring Nelson at the Carolina Club.
During his time at UNC, Nelson either led or created nearly a dozen programs focused on community engagement, including UNC Cares, the Family and Children’s Resource Program (FCRP), Behavioral Health Springboard (BHS), and the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (SIE Lab).
At the heart of his career has been his desire to change systems.
“I always liked, and had a bit of a penchant for, system thinking and research,” Nelson said. “I went to (the University of California) Berkeley and found out the life of an academic — where one could focus on individual, community and large-scale systems — appealed to me.
“It was a profession where you could focus on change simultaneously with many different populations. I was out only for a year and went back to get my doctorate.”
Becoming a Tar Heel
After earning his doctorate at Berkeley, Nelson joined the Carolina faculty in 1982.
“When I first came to Carolina the School of Social work was across from the planetarium in a small building,” he said. “My office was a little annex next to the fire escape which allowed me to disappear easily, much to the chagrin sometimes of those who might be looking for me”
His office space over the years may have changed, but his reason for staying at Carolina did not.
To Nelson, it was simple.
“I was always given the flexibility to start and create programs. I have greatly appreciated that freedom,” Nelson said. “Early on in my career I pivoted to creating these community engagement programs. It was a little nontraditional for a tenured faculty member, but again I appreciated having the permission to do something quite different.”
Community focused
With just one community engaged program in operation when Nelson arrived, he set to work.
“I came here and a year later that one program was gone. So, we started from scratch and created community engagement programs,” he said.
He launched UNC Cares in 1987 aiming to improve the lives of aging adults and adults with support needs. Six years later he founded FCRP, using innovative training methods to help organizations support North Carolina families. The program partners with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to develop and deliver dozens of child welfare training courses, publications, conferences and summits.
A year later, Nelson launched the Behavioral Health Resource Program — now known as the Behavioral Health Springboard. The program links research to training programs across the state to address substance use prevention and treatment, problem gambling, and other issues in behavioral mental health.
A common theme between all three of these programs? They’ve stood the test of time.
“I do believe my greatest contribution has been playing a role in creating these projects with a focus on community engagement and system change; programs that aren’t just one-off experiments,” Nelson said. “I wanted to create and institutionalize public engagement efforts that would be ongoing across time.
“Another theme has been to integrate UNC’s three-part mission of research, education and service. The idea was that my engagement projects would focus on not just one of those but combine all three. Doing so is central to creating lasting change.”
Nelson’s impact
Like social work concentrations, Nelson’s work isn’t only focused at the macro level, but at the micro level as well.
Beth Lowder, innovation program manager for the School, first met Nelson as a masters student. Before graduating in 2017, Lowder worked with Nelson during her concentration year practicum placement to develop the SIE Lab. She now serves as the manager of the Community Aspirations Hub within the lab.
“As a student, what I appreciated about Gary was that he looked at macro social work practice through the lens of innovation,” Lowder said. “I was excited about social entrepreneurship and how social workers were addressing complex problems using principles from the business sector combined with social work values.”
Steve Freedman, retired chief of the service operations section of the NCDHHS’s Division of Aging, praised Nelson’s ability to see the “big picture.” The pair worked together for more than 30 years through a partnership with NCDHHS and UNC Cares.
“Gary is a visionary,” Freedman said. “He is someone who knows how to connect the dots. He could make connections and understood so much about long-term care. He could see where the division fit with other departments and agencies across the state.”
Lowder agreed that Nelson’s unique approach to problem solving changed how she tackles challenges.
“He brings a system lens to everything that he does,” she said. “He emphasizes the interconnectedness and systemic nature of complex issues. It’s something that has changed the way I think about the issues we’re trying to address as social workers.”
As part of his partnership with NCDHSS, Nelson and his staff helped the division develop state aging plans, policy papers, public hearings and more.
“He and his team were always so great to work with,” Freedman said. “We always looked at them as an extension of our staff because they helped us so much. We leaned on Gary and UNC Cares. His passion, vision and knowledge were unmatched. He was so good to work with over the years.”
Nelson said those connections are part of the legacy he wants to leave.
“I was able to create communities committed to engagement and systems change within the School and I was able to really hire some talented individuals to bring those changes about,” Nelson said. “It’s one of the things that I’m most proud of — bringing people with different talents together and finding the right combinations to make change happen. I’m certainly going to miss my colleagues and the communities we’ve built over my career.”
The other part? Again, it involves bridging the divide between research, education and service.
“From the start of my career to now the number of tenured faculty in our School hasn’t changed much,” he said. “What we have seen is a growth in all the talent that has been integrated into our School focused on engagement and social change. Those programs are growing, ongoing and impactful.
“To be able to play a role in building out community engagement at the school has been exciting. For me, to have research, education and service come together to effect change — that’s what’s big. Putting those three together. It’s been so satisfying.”
What’s next?
Nelson shared advice for current social work students.
“Students, and academics in general, are sometimes afraid of the power they possess,” Nelson said. “I think they discount what they can do and what they can achieve. If I get to leave one piece of advice behind, it’s to take on an ambitious vision and never cut yourself or others short. Everyone wants to make a lasting, positive difference in others through their personal and professional lives.”
The night ended with Nelson receiving several gifts commemorating his career, including being presented The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by UNC Cares Director Linda Kendall Fields on behalf of Gov. Roy Cooper.
“We heard a lot tonight about Gary’s programs, but I don’t want to leave you with the impression that it’s just about that,” School of Social Work Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson said. “It’s about so much more. It’s about all the longstanding relationships and friendships he’s helped us develop. Because Gary paved the way, we will keep the vision going, we will be ambitious, we will dream big, and we will actualize the work.”
She ended her remarks to Gary by thanking him for all that he has done and the lives that have been positively impacted by his work.
Nelson will continue to support the School’s effort in establishing an Office of Community Engagement and Outreach.
“I’ll figure out some way to continue to contribute to others in whatever I choose to do,” Nelson said. “And my family and I are going to do some traveling and maybe write a short book for my children and grandchildren recounting my early life and journey growing up in the wilds of Idaho, a time and world that has forever change but remembered fondly.”
Planning for the event was led by UNC Cares, including Nefi Lopez-Chen, Kait Bilston, Molly Markey, Linda Kendall Fields, Beth Lowder, and Annamae Giles.
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