Berte-Hickey Named Catholic Social Worker of the Year

February 2, 2022

Briar Cliff University Social Work professor, Melanie Berte-Hickey has been awarded the 2021 Catholic Social Worker of the Year award by the Catholic Social Worker National Association.

Berte-Hickey joined Briar Cliff in 2015, working with students both online and in-person. She holds her Master of Social Work from the University of Iowa, Masters in Pastoral Studies from St. Ambrose University, and received her Bioethics Certification from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

She has led humanitarian work in Africa, educating populations on health and safety as well as providing support to social workers in rural Tanzania. 

“The CSWNA Community applauds Melanie Berte-Hickey’s role beyond serving as a professor at a Catholic University as she invests more broadly in the lives of students; brings great heart to work with needy; and infuses faith into her work empowering others for emotional, relationship and spiritual healing. In such ways, she models the ideals of the Catholic Social Works National Association,” says Beverly Tauke, Chair of the CSWNA Board.

The CSWNA awards a Catholic Social Worker an award to someone who displays outstanding accomplishments to the work and purposes that exemplify living out one’s baptismal call by being the hands and feet of Christ.