🔥 July in Texas never felt more meaningful.
The 47th Annual National Rural Social Work Conference was hosted in Nacogdoches, TX—the oldest town in Texas—by Stephen F. Austin State University and Dr. Kristin Bailey-Wallace.
For many, it was the first time gathering again since COVID, and the heat of the Texas summer couldn’t stop the connections and conversations that make this conference so unique.
With support from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, the Texas Foundation, and an incredible team of planners and faculty, this rural conference brought people together from across the country for research, dialogue, and a little Texas barbecue.
Dr. Bailey-Wallace even got to present her research with her mom in the audience—an unforgettable highlight in her own hometown.
Here’s to the power of place, people, and purpose in rural social work. 🌱