Longtime Faculty Member Julie Sweeney Springwater (SSW’94) Retires after More than Two Decades  

Adjunct Associate Professor Julie Sweeney Springwater (SSW’94) will retire from BU School of Social Work (BUSSW), effective January 2025, after over 28 years of service to the school during which she made significant contributions to the education and professional development of countless students. A distinguished graduate of BUSSW, Springwater earned her MSW degree and Human Service Management Certificate in 1994. She was recruited in 1996 to be the coordinator of the BUSSW Human Service Management Certificate Program which prepared students for management and leadership roles in public and non-profit human service organizations. From 2014 to 2019 Springwater served as chair of the Macro Social Work Practice Department at BUSSW. Under her guidance, the department thrived, benefiting from her vision, expertise, and deep commitment to social justice.  

Springwater’s dedication to macro social work, particularly in child welfare, is unparalleled. Her early career as a caseworker and manager in public child welfare inspired her lifelong commitment to find better ways to develop partnerships with leaders, staff, families, youth, and children within the system to effect change. Springwater’s leadership in the development and implementation of the Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) shaped her understanding of the value of involving constituents in designing organizational change. MAPP was later used in 27 states and several European countries.  

 For 29 years, she was executive director of the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners at the Baker Center for Children and Families in Boston. Throughout her career, Springwater has been a tireless advocate for improving policy and practice, always with a focus on engaging families and youth in meaningful ways. This is exemplified by her role in the development of the New England Youth Coalition, the Parent Leaders of New England, and the Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alumni — three organizations whose missions are to build community and achieve systems change. In 2018 she was received the American Public Human Service Association’s Career Achievement Award for her exceptional leadership and educational contributions to the field of health and human services.  

Springwater’s commitment to the field extends to her service on many boards including the Andover School of Montessori, Family Continuity, the Massachusetts Alliance for Families, the Massachusetts Network for Foster Care Alumni, USA Gymnastics, where she chairs the Safe Sport Committee and the Child Welfare League of America, where she served as board vice chair and chair. Her contributions to these organizations have been extraordinary, reflecting her deep commitment to the well-being of children and families. She is also the co-author with Christine James-Brown of two volumes of Collaboration, Innovation & Best Practices: Lessons and Advice from Leaders in Child Welfare, Child Welfare Press, Washington, DC (2019 and 2022).  

To learn how you can contribute to Springwater’s legacy at the school, please contact Raymond Joyce at rjoyce@bu.edu.