The Central Coast Unit of the National Association of Social Workers will honor Caroline Haskell, director of Health and Wellness Services at CSU Monterey Bay.

Haskell will receive the organization’s Social Worker of the Year Award March 20 at its annual event to celebrate Social Work Month. Secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Anna Caballero will be the featured speaker.

Haskell is a licensed clinical social worker and a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. She was the founding director of CSUMB’s Counseling Center when it opened in 1996. She currently oversees 45 employees who assist more than 6,500 students, including 350 with disabilities.

She is the campus affiliate director of the National Coalition Building Institute,an international organization whose mission is to eliminate racism and other forms of oppression.

Her 2013 book, Combined Destinies: Whites Sharing Grief About Racism, co-edited with Ann Jealous, explores the social and emotional consequences of racism for white Americans.

The National Association of Social Workers is the world’s largest professional social work organization. The local unit, covering Monterey and San Benito counties, holds several events each year, including a welcome dinner for incoming master’s level social work students at CSUMB, continuing education events, and the annual social work month celebration.